Development of a system for experiencing tactile sensation from a robot hand by electrically stimulating sensory nerve fiber

Research attempting to merge human and mechanical systems through a nervous system is one of the most dynamic fields in interface technology. Recently, artificial cochlear and retinal nerves were connected via a nervous system. However, there has been no report concerning the replacement of human tactile sensation by artificial sensors connected to the tactile sensory nerve system. The present study reports the development of a system which enables the touch strength applied to a robot hand to be sensed and applied to the hand of a human operator via the microstimulation method. The operator controls the grasping action of a robot hand equipped with tactile sensors at a remote location via a network. The contact information between an object and the robot hand is transmitted via the network, and the tactile sensory nerve of the operator is stimulated by a microelectrode. The force applied to the robot hand can be sensed as an applied force to the hand of the human operator. Applications of the proposed system include the presentation of tactile perception in remote manipulation. In addition, the proposed system is an effective method for transmitting sensation from artificial limbs. The present paper describes the experimental system and results.