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a b s t r a c tThe construction of robotic systems that can move the way humans do, with respect to agility, stability and precision, is a necessary prerequisite for the successful integration of robotic systems in human environments. We explain human-centered views on robotics, based on the three basic ingredients (1) actuation; (2) sensing; and (3) control, and formulate detailed examples thereof.

Abstract-One of the main challenges in service robotics is to equip dexterous robotic hands with sensitive tactile sensors in order to cope with the inherent problems posed by unknown and unstructured environments. As the increasing mechatronic integration of complex robotic hands leaves little additional space for proprioceptive sensors, exteroceptive tactile sensors become more and more important. We present a novel tactile sensor design, based on piezo-resistive soft material and a crossed-wire approach. We present the development of a first prototype and its evaluation in various classification tasks, showing promising results.

Abstract-Currently, large efforts are unertaken to bring robotic applications to domestic environments. Especially physical human-robot cooperation is a major concern and various design and control methodologies were developed on the way to achieve this task. In particular, this necessitates the evaluation of injury risks a human is exposed to in case he is hit by a robot. In this video several blunt impact tests are shown, leading to an assessment of which factors dominate injury severity. We will illustrate the effect robot speed, robot mass, and constraints in the environment have on safety in humanrobot impacts. It will be shown that the intuition of high impact loads being transmitted by heavy robots is wrong. Furthermore, the conclusion is induced that free impacts are by far less dangerous than being crushed.

In human skin, the ability to spatially discriminate an individual indentation from two simultaneous indentations is tailored to the need of the specific area of application on the human body. While the spatial resolution is comparatively low over wide areas of the human body, there are no insensitive spots. In addition, the measuring range is tuned to the expected loads on the respective part of the human body. Within this study these observations are utilized to solve some of the key challenges on the way towards an artificial skin as a whole-body cover for robotic systems. To enable the reliable detection of collision events which are commonly of very short duration the reaction time of the artificial skin system has to be minimized. In order to do so, the goal conflict between the required number of taxels and the required high readout frequencies has to be solved. We present the DLR approach towards scalable transduction hardware and readout electronics as a basis for the acquisition of tactile information from future whole-body covers. First experiments with prototypes of the DLR Artificial Skin demonstrate the scalability of the transduction hardware with respect to size, spatial resolution and measuring range.