A robust, low-cost and low-noise artificial skin for human-friendly robots
- 1 May 2010
- conference paper
- conference paper
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- p. 4836-4841
- https://doi.org/10.1109/robot.2010.5509295
Abstract
As robots and humans move towards sharing the same environment, the need for safety in robotic systems is of growing importance. Towards this goal of human-friendly robotics, a robust, low-cost, low-noise capacitive force sensing array is presented with application as a whole body artificial skin covering. This highly scalable design provides excellent noise immunity, low-hysteresis, and has the potential to be made flexible and formable. Noise immunity is accomplished through the use of shielding and local sensor processing. A small and low-cost multivibrator circuit is replicated locally at each taxel, minimizing stray capacitance and noise coupling. Each circuit has a digital pulse train output, which allows robust signal transmission in noisy electrical environments. Wire count is minimized through serial or row-column addressing schemes, and the use of an open-drain output on each taxel allows hundreds of sensors to require only a single output wire. With a small set of interface wires, large arrays can be scanned hundreds of times per second and dynamic response remains flat over a broad frequency range. Sensor performance is evaluated on a bench-top version of a 4 × 4 taxel array in quasi-static and dynamic cases.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Robot skin based on touch-area-sensitive tactile elementPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2006
- The huggable: a therapeutic robotic companion for relational, affective touchPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2006
- Strain Sensing Fabric for Hand Posture and Gesture MonitoringIEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, 2005
- A large-area, flexible pressure sensor matrix with organic field-effect transistors for artificial skin applicationsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2004
- Strain-sensing fabrics for wearable kinaesthetic-like systemsIEEE Sensors Journal, 2003
- Development of a finger-shaped tactile sensor and its evaluation by active touchPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2003
- A tactile sensor for localizing transient events in manipulationPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2002
- Silicon three-axial tactile sensorSensors and Actuators A: Physical, 1996
- CMOS-compatible traction stress sensor for use in high-resolution tactile imagingSensors and Actuators A: Physical, 1996
- Using a cylindrical tactile sensor for determining curvatureIEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation, 1991