Flexible sensor skin gives robots a sense of dexterity

The skin can be stretched over any part of a robot's body - or prosthetic - to accurately convey information about shear forces and vibration that are critical to grasping and manipulating objects.

The bio-inspired robot sensor skin mimics the way a human finger experiences tension and compression as it slides along a surface or distinguishes different textures. It measures this tactile information with similar precision as human skin and is described in a paper published in Sensors and Actuators A: Physical.

"Robotic and prosthetic hands are really based on visual cues right now - such as, 'Can I see my hand wrapped around this object?' or 'Is it touching this wire?' But that's obviously incomplete information," said senior author Jonathan Posner, a UW professor of mechanical engineering and of chemical engineering.

"If a robot is going to dismantle an improvised explosive device, it needs to know whether its hand is sliding along a wire or pulling on it. To hold on to a medical instrument, it needs to know if the object is slipping. This all requires the ability to sense shear force, which no other sensor skin has been able to do well," Posner said.