We are developing a minute tactile sensor having four cantilevers for sensing pressure and shear forces simultaneously and for distributing over a small area to recognize a certain area’s conditions. ...Toward our goal, another important task is to establish, in parallel with the sensor’s fabrication, a computing method that converts measured signals to applied forces. In this paper, we first investigate our sensing mechanism using a centimeter scale mockup of the actual sensor. Then, we formulate the relationship between the applied forces and the sensor outputs by a numerical analysis using a sufficient number of pairings of the forces and outputs. Finally, we examine the potential of the method.
A distributed tactile sensor that can sense multi-axis forces and is high-densely arrayed is required in such VR applications as robotic hands and glove-like controllers in tele-existence systems. We ...are developing elements of a tactile sensor that can simultaneously measure pressure and shear force, and they are small enough to be arrayed densely in small areas due to MEMS process fabrication. However, the signal processing of numerous sensor elements remains a serious problem. In this paper, we studied a solution by a strategy of distributed processing and examined its effectiveness in a simulated environment
GelForce Vlack, Kevin; Mizota, Terukazu; Kawakami, Naoki ...
CHI '05 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems,
04/2005
Conference Proceeding
We propose a tactile sensor based on computer vision that measures a dense traction field, or a distribution of 3D force vectors over a 2D surface, which humans also effectively sense through a dense ...array of mechanoreceptors in the skin. The proposed "GelForce" tactile sensor has an elegant and organic design and can compute large and structurally rich traction fields in real time. We present how this sensor can serve as a powerful and intuitive computer interface for both existing and emerging desktop applications.
Recent advances in vision-based tactile sensation have given rise to a novel class of high-performance sensing devices that measure traction fields (i.e. distributions of 3-D force vectors) with ...density comparable to the biological sense of touch. While this has been an emerging trend in robotics, it introduces diverse new possibilities for human-computer interaction as well. We describe how to apply computer vision techniques to measure the traction field applied to the surface of a silicone body, and discuss the potential of using the computed vector distribution as a rich and versatile interface for interactive desktop applications.
The desire to reproduce and expand the human senses drives innovations in sensor technology. Conversely, human-interface research aims to allow people to interact with machines as if they were ...natural objects in a cybernetic, human-oriented way. We wish to unite the two paradigms with a haptic sensor as versatile as the sense of touch and developed for a dual purpose: to improve the robotic capability to interact with the physical world, and to improve the human capability to interact with the virtual world for emerging applications with a heightened sense of presence. We designed a sensor, dubbed GelForce, that acts as a practical tool in both conventional and novel desktop applications using common consumer hardware. By measuring a surface traction field, the GelForce tactile sensor can represent the magnitude and direction of force applied to the skin's surface using computer vision. This article is available with a short video documentary on CD-ROM.
