Tactile sensor for geometric profile perception

An experimental robotic tactile sensing system is under development to characterize and identify three-dimensional objects. The authors describe the experimental setup, which consists of a tactile sensor probe and a passive-compliant wrist mounted at the end of a manipulator arm. An incremental strategy for active sequential exploration of an object surface is discussed. A data function technique is presented, which combines information from the tactile sensor, the wrist and the kinematics of the robot, for precise object identification. Preliminary experimental results are discussed