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

尽管在材料、计算能力、致动器、传感器和设计方面有了很大的进步，但机器人在灵巧操作方面远远落后于人类。在机器人操作中取得成功的研究受制于复杂的传感方案和大量的后处理步骤，因为它们使用的触觉传感器无法像人类一样具有高空间分辨率或接触力大小和方向检测能力。人工皮肤状的柔性触觉传感器可以类似于其生物模拟物的触觉感知能力，必将给机器人技术带来革命性的变化，提供前所未有的控制和灵活性，并支持人工智能和类人机器人技术的最新进展。这项工作满足了对皮肤状分布式触觉传感器的迫切需求，并提出了一种结构灵活的新型触觉传感器，该传感器可以解决动态接触力问题，具有指尖般的高空间分辨率。这项拟议的工作具有变革性，因为它能够为机器人机械手配备与人类相当的触觉反馈，为机器人学中类似人类的灵巧性铺平道路。这项创新技术有可能成为实现科洛机器人与人类共同生活和工作的重要一步。该项目是对仿生工程和创业意识教育活动的补充，为本科生和研究生提供了参与前沿研究并获得创新思维和创业技能的机会。向K-12学生和代表性不足的群体介绍和推广工程学的教育外联活动将是该项目的一个组成部分。这项工作的目标是实现三维接触力成像的空间分辨，并为机器人平台提供类似皮肤的触摸感知能力(即局部三维动态力感知)，促进机器人操作手的类人灵巧操作。PI将通过制造一种新型阵列式触觉传感器来实现这一目标，该新型阵列式触觉传感器包括纤维聚合物接触层和具有集成电极的柔性衬底。初步实验表明，复合压敏电阻的压力灵敏度接近于人的指尖。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，该阵列将是灵活、廉价和耐用的；(Ii)开发可重复和可扩展的制造技术；(Iii)使用微细和中尺度表征技术研究复合光纤传感的基本物理；以及(Iv)使用定制表征工具研究和演示摩擦表征、滑移检测和防滑。长期的科学目标是理解和量化三维时空接触力图像与操作之间的关系，以促进机器人技术及其医学和生物应用。如果成功，该项目除了在机器人方面提供前所未有的控制和灵活性外，还将支持机器人学其他重要领域的最新进展，例如人工智能和人形机器人。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.