A Stretchable Tactile Sleeve for Reaching Into Cluttered Spaces

Gruebele, Alexander M.; Lin, Michael A.; Brouwer, Dane; Yuan, Shenli; Zerbe, Andrew C.; Cutkosky, Mark R.

doi:10.1109/lra.2021.3070304

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Air pressure sensing is a promising technique for touch sensing of soft and flexible robots, because it allows the creation of lightweight sensors that provide a straightforward relationship between contact force and sensed pressure and can be integrated over large areas. Soft air pressure sensors have been demonstrated for rigid robot fingertips [7], [8], arm modules [8], [9], and skins [10], as well as for single-degree-of-freedom sensoractuator modules [11], [12], but they have not yet been adapted for touch sensing in a large scale flexible robot.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Air Pocket Force Sensors for Large Scale Flexible Robots

Mitchell

McFarland

Coad

2023

2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)

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Flexible robots have advantages over rigid robots in their ability to conform physically to their environment and to form a wide variety of shapes. Sensing the force applied by or to flexible robots is useful for both navigation and manipulation tasks, but it is challenging due to the need for the sensors to withstand the robots' shape change without encumbering their functionality. Also, for robots with long or large bodies, the number of sensors required to cover the entire surface area of the robot body can be prohibitive due to high cost and complexity. We present a novel soft air pocket force sensor that is highly flexible, lightweight, relatively inexpensive, and easily scalable to various sizes. Our sensor produces a change in internal pressure that is linear with the applied force. We present results of experimental testing of how uncontrollable factors (contact location and contact area) and controllable factors (initial internal pressure, thickness, size, and number of interior seals) affect the sensitivity. We demonstrate our sensor applied to a vine robot-a soft inflatable robot that "grows" from the tip via eversion-and we show that the robot can successfully grow and steer towards an object with which it senses contact.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft Air Pocket Force Sensors for Large Scale Flexible Robots

Mitchell

McFarland

Coad

2023

2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)

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“…Once sealed, the networks' internal pressures can be measured as voltage signals during deformation and can be used as sensory feedback. Similar cavity-based fluidic sensors have been developed for tactile feedback in robotic grippers with compliant fingertips (27,28) and soft robotic tactile skins (29). However, all of these methods rely on molding-based fabrication methods, yielding relatively large sensors that only provide tactile feedback.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluidic innervation sensorizes structures from a single build material

et al. 2022

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Multifunctional materials with distributed sensing and programmed mechanical properties are required for myriad emerging technologies. However, current fabrication techniques constrain these materials’ design and sensing capabilities. We address these needs with a method for sensorizing architected materials through fluidic innervation, where distributed networks of empty, air-filled channels are directly embedded within an architected material’s sparse geometry. By measuring pressure changes within these channels, we receive feedback regarding material deformation. Thus, this technique allows for three-dimensional printing of sensorized structures from a single material. With this strategy, we fabricate sensorized soft robotic actuators on the basis of handed shearing auxetics and accurately predict their kinematics from the sensors’ proprioceptive feedback using supervised learning. Our strategy for facilitating structural, sensing, and actuation capabilities through control of form alone simplifies sensorized material design for applications spanning wearables, smart structures, and robotics.

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