Simplified whole-body tactile sensing system using soft material at contact areas

A whole-body tactile sensing system using a force sensor with soft material at contact areas is proposed. The previous method proposed by the authors used rigid materials at contact areas. In terms of safety assurance, the material should have shock-absorbing characteristics. Hence, in this study, we investigate the use of an urethane sponge at contact areas and evaluate the performance of the contact point calculation. First, the relationship between the external force and the displacement of the urethane sponge is measured. Second, a compensation method for deformation of the soft material is proposed. Finally, the performance of our whole-body tactile sensing system is verified.