Fingertip Tactile Sensor Based on Velostat Piezoresistive Material

Abstract

Tactile sensors are crucial technology for autonomous operations of robots. In this paper, we propose a 3×3 array fingertip tactile sensor based on the Velostat pressure-sensitive material. To address the issue of abrupt signal variation in the micro-force response stage, a mechanical structure applying preloading force to the sensing units is designed. Besides, in order to enhance the pressure transmission to the sensing units, silicone contacts are manufactured to obtain significant signal changes. We built the specialized experimental platform to test the performance of the designed sensor. The experimental results show that the sensor can respond to the compression and release of the silicone contact. We also use the sensor to contact the object and successfully obtaining the contour feature information of the object. This study will be helpful for designing the better fingertip tactile sensor.