Printed Soft Sensor with Passivation Layers for the Detection of Object Slippage by a Robotic Gripper

Tactile sensing, particularly the detection of object slippage, is required for skillful object handling by robotic grippers. The real-time measurement and identification of the dynamic shear forces that result from slippage events are crucial for slip detection and effective object interaction. In...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Reo Miura, Tomohito Sekine, Yi-Fei Wang, Jinseo Hong, Yushi Watanabe, Keita Ito, Yoshinori Shouji, Yasunori Takeda, Daisuke Kumaki, Fabrice Domingues Dos Santos, Atsushi Miyabo, Shizuo Tokito
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
Series:Micromachines
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/11/10/927
Description
Summary:Tactile sensing, particularly the detection of object slippage, is required for skillful object handling by robotic grippers. The real-time measurement and identification of the dynamic shear forces that result from slippage events are crucial for slip detection and effective object interaction. In this study, a ferroelectric polymer-based printed soft sensor for object slippage detection was developed and fabricated by screen printing. The proposed sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 8.2 μC·cm<sup>−2</sup> and was responsive to shear forces applied in both the parallel and perpendicular directions. An amplifier circuit, based on a printed organic thin-film transistor, was applied and achieved a high sensitivity of 0.1 cm<sup>2</sup>/V·s. Therefore, this study experimentally demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed printable high-sensitivity tactile sensor, which could serve as part of a wearable robotic e-skin. The sensor could facilitate the production of a system to detect and prevent the slippage of objects from robotic grippers.
ISSN:2072-666X