Development of a sensor system with syringe based on tactile sensing using balloon expansion

The aim of this study is the development of a human-friendly tactile sensor for measuring softness, sliminess, smoothness, and so on. We have proposed active tactile sensing method using balloon expansion. A balloon is contacted with an object and expanded by using fluid. Tactile information is evaluated by measuring the expansion process. In this paper, we developed a sensor system using syringe. It is a compact system and can ensure enough safety for human body tissues in safe contact, using no electric power, and sterilization. Pressure changes and volume changes of the balloon can be measured together in the balloon expansion. First, overview of the developed sensor system is presented. Next, composition of the sensor system and the sensing process are presented. Then, experiments using the developed sensor are conducted on samples with different stiffness and surface conditions. Features extracted from sensor outputs indicate that the sensor can know the difference both the stiffness and surface condition. The results show the validity of the proposed sensor system.