The TacTip Family: Soft Optical Tactile Sensors with 3D-Printed Biomimetic Morphologies
- PMID: 29297773
- PMCID: PMC5905869
- DOI: 10.1089/soro.2017.0052
The TacTip Family: Soft Optical Tactile Sensors with 3D-Printed Biomimetic Morphologies
Abstract
Tactile sensing is an essential component in human-robot interaction and object manipulation. Soft sensors allow for safe interaction and improved gripping performance. Here we present the TacTip family of sensors: a range of soft optical tactile sensors with various morphologies fabricated through dual-material 3D printing. All of these sensors are inspired by the same biomimetic design principle: transducing deformation of the sensing surface via movement of pins analogous to the function of intermediate ridges within the human fingertip. The performance of the TacTip, TacTip-GR2, TacTip-M2, and TacCylinder sensors is here evaluated and shown to attain submillimeter accuracy on a rolling cylinder task, representing greater than 10-fold super-resolved acuity. A version of the TacTip sensor has also been open-sourced, enabling other laboratories to adopt it as a platform for tactile sensing and manipulation research. These sensors are suitable for real-world applications in tactile perception, exploration, and manipulation, and will enable further research and innovation in the field of soft tactile sensing.
Keywords: dexterous manipulation; soft sensors; tactile sensors.
Conflict of interest statement
No competing financial interests exist.
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