Active tactile sensing of stiffness and surface condition using balloon expansion

This paper presents the development of a tactile sensor that is friendly to body tissue and measure stiffness and surface conditions such as sliminess. Active tactile sensing by balloon expansion using fluid is proposed. A balloon is contacted with an object and expanded by using fluid. Sensing mechanism is discussed through observation of the balloon expansion and theoretical analysis. Experiments on samples with different stiffness and surface conditions are carried out. The results show applicability of the sensor.