Force/tactile sensor for robotic applications

The paper describes the detailed design and the prototype characterization of a novel tactile sensor11Euopean patent pending, Application no. EP11425148.1. for robotic applications. The sensor is based on a two-layer structure, i.e. a printed circuit board with optoelectronic components below a deformable silicon layer with a suitably designed geometry. The mechanical structure of the sensor has been optimized in terms of geometry and material physical properties to provide the sensor with different capabilities. The first capability is to work as a six-axis force/torque sensor; additionally, the sensor can be used as a tactile sensor providing a spatially distributed information exploited to estimate the geometry of the contact with a stiff external object. An analytical physical model and a complete experimental characterization of the sensor are presented.