An object oriented expert identifier system

Tactile sensing is not simply the ability to detect that a contact has occurred between an object and a manipulator, but encompasses a more comprehensive ability to grasp and identify shape, surface features, material features, force and slippage etc. As technology progresses, sensors able to detect these features have become a reality, and the problem of integrating the information from such sensors must be taken into account. To achieve this objective an appropriate system organisation is required to efficiently and correctly integrate the data into a robust world model. Since the number of sensors that may be applied to any kind of problem is increasing daily, modularity, reusability and expandability are important properties. To achieve this flexibility an object oriented approach has been followed in modelling the system. The authors consider the use of a multi-functional tactile system and its integration with an object oriented expert identifier system (OOEIS) which is able to fuse data coming from a sensorized finger, with the aim of identifying the material properties of an object being touched