Tactile sensing system using electro-tactile feedback

Abstract

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.