Finger-Shaped GelForce: Sensor for Measuring Surface Traction Fields for Robotic Hand

—It is believed that the use of haptic sensors to measure the magnitude, direction, and distribution of a force will enable a robotic hand to perform dexterous operations. Therefore, we develop a new type of finger-shaped haptic sensor using GelForce technology. GelForce is a vision-based sensor that can be used to measure the distribution of force vectors, or surface traction fields. The simple structure of the GelForce enables us to develop a compact finger-shaped GelForce for the robotic hand. GelForce that is developed on the basis of an elastic theory can be used to calculate surface traction fields using a conversion equation. However, this conversion equation cannot be analytically solved when the elastic body of the sensor has a complicated shape such as the shape of a finger. Therefore, we propose an observational method and construct a prototype of the finger-shaped GelForce. By using this prototype, we evaluate the basic performance of the finger-shaped GelForce. Then, we ...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: TOH
• Authors: Katsunari Sato, Kazuto Kamiyama, Naoki Kawakami, Susumu Tachi
• Keywords: Finger-shaped Gelforce, Robotic Hand, Sensor, TOH 2010