Active contact enhancements with stretchable soft layers and piezoresistive tactile array for robotic grippers∗

Intensive research in sensors and human-robot interactions has made the social presence of robots safer and more acceptable. In any interaction of the robot with its surroundings, it is important to establish proper contact with the object to ensure complete control over its manipulation. The sense of touch and perception play a vital role to close the feedback loop of contact modulations. This paper discusses the design and development of a novel hybrid sensorized soft-matter structure which has active contact modulation capabilities to ensure better and firm contact in rigid robotic grippers. An integrated multi-taxel piezoresistive tactile sensor which can confer to both rigid and soft surfaces easily was developed as a feedback device. Experimental observations show enhancement in grip and demonstrate a simple slip detection routine under dynamic load condition successfully.