Spatially resolve three-dimensional tactile sensing using functionally graded piezoresistive pillar arrays

尽管在材料、计算能力、执行器、传感器和设计方面取得了很大进步，机器人在灵巧操作方面仍远远落后于人类。研究表明，机器人操纵的成功受到复杂的传感方案和广泛的后处理步骤的影响，因为它们使用的触觉传感器无法像人类一样进行高空间分辨率或接触力大小和方向检测。类似人造皮肤的柔性触觉传感器可以模仿其生物类似物的触觉传感能力，必将彻底改变机器人技术，提供前所未有的控制和灵活性，并支持人工智能和人形机器人技术的最新进展。这项工作解决了对类皮肤分布式触觉传感器的迫切需求，并提出了一种新型柔性结构的触觉传感器，它可以以指尖般的高空间分辨率解析动态接触力。这项拟议的工作具有变革性，它能够为机器人操纵器配备与人类相当的触觉反馈，为机器人技术中类似人类的灵活性铺平道路。这项创新技术有可能成为实现与人类一起生活和工作的协作机器人的重要一步。该项目补充了仿生工程和创业意识方面的教育活动，让本科生和研究生有机会参与前沿研究并获得创新思维和创业技能。向 K-12 学生和弱势群体介绍和推广工程学的教育外展活动将是该项目的一个组成部分。 这项工作的目标是实现空间解析三维接触力成像，并为机器人平台提供类皮肤触摸传感功能（即局部三维动态力传感），并促进机器人操纵器中类似人类的灵巧操作。 PI 将通过制造一种新型阵列型触觉传感器来实现这一目标，该传感器包括纤维状聚合物接触层和带有集成电极的柔性基板，该接触层可放大集成压阻基础传感层上的接触力。初步实验证明复合压敏电阻的压力灵敏度接近人类指尖的压力灵敏度。拟议工作的目标是（i）设计一种基于压阻传感的复合微纤维传感器阵列，该阵列灵活、廉价且耐用； (ii) 开发可重复且可扩展的制造技术； (iii) 使用微观和中尺度表征技术研究复合纤维传感的基础物理； (iv) 使用定制表征工具研究和演示摩擦表征、滑动检测和滑动预防。 长期的科学目标是理解和量化三维时空接触力图像与操纵之间的关系，以推进机器人技术及其医学和生物应用。如果成功，该项目除了为机器人提供前所未有的控制和灵活性外，还将支持机器人技术其他重要领域的最新进展，例如人工智能和人形机器人技术。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Despite much advancement in materials, computation power, actuators, sensors, and design, robots drastically lag in their ability to match humans in dexterous manipulation. Studies that show success in robotic manipulation suffer from complex sensing schemes and extensive post processing steps because they utilize tactile sensors that are not capable of human-like high spatial resolution or contact force magnitude and direction detection. Artificial skin-like flexible tactile sensors that can resemble the tactile sensing capabilities of their biological analogue are bound to revolutionize robotics, providing unprecedented control and dexterity, and support the recent advancements in artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics. This work addresses the pressing need for skin-like distributed tactile sensors and proposes a novel tactile sensor of flexible construction, which can resolve dynamic contact forces with fingertip-like high spatial resolution. The proposed work is transformative in its ability to equip robotic manipulators with tactile feedback comparable to that of humans, paving the way to human-like dexterity in robotics. This innovative technology has the potential to be a significant step toward the realization of corobots living and working with humans. This project complements the educational activities in biomimetic engineering and entrepreneurial awareness, giving undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge research and gain skills in innovative thinking and entrepreneurship. Educational outreach activities to introduce and promote engineering to K-12 students and underrepresented groups will be an integral part of this project. The goal of this work is to enable spatially resolve three-dimensional contact force imaging and provide skin-like touch sensing capabilities (namely, local three-dimensional dynamic force sensing) to robotic platforms and facilitate human-like dexterous manipulation in robotic manipulators. The PI will achieve this goal by fabricating a novel array-type tactile sensor comprising a fibrillar polymeric contact layer which amplifies contact forces at the integrated piezoresistive base sensing layer and a flexible substrate with integrated electrodes. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated composite piezoresistors with pressure sensitivity close to that of a human fingertip. The objectives of the proposed work are to (i) design a composite microfibrillar sensor array, based on piezoresistive sensing, which would be flexible, cheap, and durable; (ii) develop repeatable and scalable fabrication techniques; (iii) study the underlying physics for composite fiber sensing using micro-and-mesoscale characterization techniques; and (iv) study and demonstrate friction characterization, slip detection, and slip prevention using custom characterization tools. The long-term scientific goal is to understand and quantify the relationship between three dimensional spatio-temporal contact force images and manipulation to advance robotics as well as its medical and biological applications. If successful, this project, in addition to providing unprecedented control and dexterity in robots, will support the recent advancements in other important areas of robotics, for example in artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.