A simple tactile sensor system for robot manipulator and object edge shape recognition

This paper proposes a simple tactile sensing and control method for robot to realize an active object surface recognition. The tactile sensor implemented on the robot hand consists of three force sensitive resistors with the peripheral circuits. The robot arm equipped with the sensor can perform active object recognition. Our research goal is to realize an effective robot controller for the 3D object handling. An additional final aim is to produce "artifacts" that is a kind of artificial creature, which enables to cooperate works between human and machine (robot) in a natural and intuitive manner. Throughout these works, we aim to realize a harmonized human-machine environment. The two examples of applications of the proposed tactile sensor are also introduced. First is a hand pose control to keep the moving direction normal to the object, which is often required in pushing an object for positioning. This application can be used for human-machine interaction tasks. Next is a hand pose and motion control for 3D-object edge tracing, which is required for industrial use such as welding machines and welding inspection. In these applications, we need no information about object shape or orientation in advance. We also show three experimental results using the proposed sensor unit. The system and results of experiments are presented.