Tactile sensing system using electro-tactile feedback

Tactile or touch sensing can enable an object´s surface texture and other properties to be perceived which can facilitate grasping and manipulating various objects. Prosthetic hand users and operators of tele-operated robot arms also need to perceive these tactile properties by some means to effectively manipulate objects and performed skilled work. This paper introduces a tactile sensing and feedback system that is based on detecting surface vibrations in an artificial finger, when contact or friction with a surface is made, and appropriately stimulating nerves in the user´s skin with electro-tactile feedback. This feedback system has benefits over existing systems because it can deliver a wide variety of sensations to the user and is compact, non-mechanical, wireless and comfortable for the user to wear. Experimental results are provided which show the potential of our system at achieving remote tactile sensing and feedback of textured surfaces.