An active tactile perception system
Abstract
System development and application aspects are described for an experimental robotic system for the tactile perception of the global geometric profile of object surfaces which are larger than the dimensions of the tactile sensor. Local cutaneous information provided by a tactile sensor is integrated with the kinesthetic position parameters of a robot arm, resulting in a 3D geometric model of the tactile sensor pose on the explored object surface. Currently available tactile sensors provide poor information on the geometric profile of 3D object surfaces. In order to maximize the information available for 3D analysis, an instrumented passive compliant wrist was used to attach a pressure measuring tactile probe to the robot arm carrier. Data was collected by a noncompliant planar sensing array in direct contact with an object surface. Information recorded includes the following: positional and orientation data on the robot arm manipulator, passive compliance kinesthetic data as measured by the kinematics of the wrist, and cutaneous tactile data represented by the binary image of the sensors pose on the object. The dimensions of the sensor array were found to be a critical factor in system performance. Use of a large array results in fewer touch poses being required to explore an object's surface, on the other hand a large planar array will touch fewer and higher peaks thus missing surface detail. To improve performance, there is a need to design tactile sensors specifically for geometric profile measuring.
- Publication:
-
Canadian Space Agency, 6th CASI Conference on Astronautics
- Pub Date:
- 1990
- Bibcode:
- 1990csa..proc.....P
- Keywords:
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- Computer Systems Design;
- Contour Sensors;
- Position Sensing;
- Proprioceptors;
- Robotics;
- Touch;
- Geometry;
- Robot Dynamics;
- Shapes;
- Surface Roughness;
- Mechanical Engineering