A New Force‐Decoupling Triaxial Tactile Sensor Based on Elastic Microcones for Accurately Grasping Feedback. (18th January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gu, Yiding; Zhang, Ting; Li, Jian; Zheng, Chaoyue; Yang, Mingye; Li, Shibin
• Is Part Of: Advanced intelligent systems. Volume 5:Number 3(2023)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2023-01-18
• Subjects: electronic skin -- flexible sensors -- microstructures -- triaxial force detecting; Artificial intelligence -- Periodicals; Robotics -- Periodicals; Control theory -- Periodicals; 006.3
• DOI: 10.1002/aisy.202200321
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2640-4567

Abstract

Abstract : Tactile sensor capable of detecting both normal and tangential forces is essential for the next‐generation robotic electronics. However, designing a reliable triaxial tactile sensor to decouple the normal and tangential forces is still a challenge for current research. Herein, a capacitive triaxial force sensor based on a microcone dielectric layer together with the force decoupling method is proposed. The lateral and vertical displacement of the top electrode relative to the bottom electrodes under the action of external forces can be perfectly detected according to the capacitance variations. The microcone‐structured sensor combined with the new decoupling method leads to a high sensitivity of 3.5 kPa −1 for normal force in a low‐pressure range of 0––50 Pa and 0.134 N −1 for tangential force in 0–0.5 N, and a fast response time of 26 ms. The sensors mounted on the fingers of a robotic arm can provide effective tactile information during the grasping task. Finally, a conceptual 3 × 3 tactile sensor array is fabricated and verified for spatial pressure mapping. This work provides new insight into piezocapacitive tactile sensor design and shows its great potential in robotic applications. Abstract : A capacitive tactile sensor base on a microcone dielectric layer is reported for triaxial force detection. According to the deformation characteristics of elastic cones under stress, a reliable force‐decoupled method is presented for analyzing capacitive outputs. The sensors mounted on the fingers of a robotic arm can provide effective tactile information during the grasping task.