Real-time Estimation of Touch Feeling Factors Using Human Finger Mimetic Tactile Sensors

To realize a telepresence system with tactile feedback and force feedback, real-time estimation of various tactile sensation must be conducted. Because several types of tactile sensation consist in touch and human tactile feeling has high time resolution. A man feels active touch extraordinary with time delayed transmission of tactile information. Our proposing human finger mimetic sensor covers three tactile factors, which are roughness, softness and friction of objects to touch. Current tactile telepresence systems represent just one tactile sensation in addition to kinesthetic information. For augmented reality, wider tactile factors must be sensed at a tactile sensor system and transferred to a tactile display system with small time delay. We realized quick estimation of vibrational frequencies of the sensor and softness of objects to regenerate touch feelings to human skin by tactile displays, which usually need time-consuming samples and make it hard to address tactile telepresence system. Quick estimation of vibrational frequency was conducted by emulating impulse emission of Meissner´s corpuscles. Quick estimation of Young´s modulus of objects was solved by computing strain distribution in a sensor