I-Corps: Cyber Tactile Perception Platform for Manufacturing Robotics Applications

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发用于医疗保健、工作场所安全和制造的商业应用的触觉传感技术。拟议的技术旨在实现远程捕获有关佩戴者的活动和健康风险的信息，例如远程筛查导致老年人跌倒的神经肌肉疾病。解决这一问题至关重要，因为跌倒会导致严重伤害，影响独立性，并为保险公司招致巨额医疗费用。此外，拟议的技术可用作便利远程监测和报告工作场所伤害的系统。这样的系统可以加强工作场所的安全措施，减少危险，并提高保险范围定价的准确性。制造业也有潜在的需求，触觉传感技术可能会影响生产过程。通过将触觉传感器集成到制造系统中，制造商可以获得关于产品质量和装配任务的精确、实时反馈。这一进步实现了产品设计和组装过程的自动化增强、缺陷检测和优化，从而降低了制造成本和供应链不确定性。i-Corps项目基于智能传感系统的开发，该系统用于高分辨率、共形触觉传感器阵列的自动制造兼容原型。这些阵列采用压阻传感机制来测量表面上的力，并将其无缝集成到可穿戴设备和机器人皮肤中。此外，还设计了能够从传感器读数中提取信息的深度学习技术。通过分析传感阵列捕获的数据，可以确定用户的活动、状态和与环境的交互。值得注意的是，利用原型触觉手套和深度学习，成功地识别和区分了与人类抓取相关的不同模式。这种触觉感应技术也被整合到鞋垫中，可以收集穿戴者的姿势、活动和环境互动的数据。此外，触觉传感系统已被集成到机器人末端执行器和机器人皮肤中，使机器人能够感知触摸并执行复杂的操作任务。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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of tactile sensing technologies for commercial applications in healthcare, workplace safety, and manufacturing. The proposed technology is designed to enable remote capture of information concerning activity and health risks of the wearer, e.g., remote screening of neuromuscular disorders leading to falls among older adults. Addressing this issue is vital as falls result in severe injuries, impacting independence and incurring substantial medical costs for insurers. In addition, the proposed technology may be used as a system facilitating remote monitoring and reporting of workplace injuries. Such a system may enhance workplace safety measures, reduce hazards, and improve insurance coverage pricing accuracy. There also is a potential need in manufacturing, where tactile sensing technology may impact the production process. By integrating tactile sensors into manufacturing systems, manufacturers gain precise, real-time feedback on product quality and assembly tasks. This advancement enables automation enhancement, defect detection, and optimization of product design and assembly processes, leading to reduced manufacturing costs and supply chain uncertainties.This I-Corps project is based on the development of smart sensing systems used in automatic manufacturing-compatible prototypes for high-resolution, conformal tactile sensor arrays. These arrays employ a piezoresistive sensing mechanism to measure forces across surfaces and seamlessly integrate them into wearable devices and robotic skins. Additionally, deep-learning techniques capable of extracting information from the sensor readouts have been devised. By analyzing the data captured by the sensing array, it is possible to determine user activity, state, and interactions with the environment. Notably, utilizing prototype tactile gloves and deep learning, successful identification and distinction of distinct patterns associated with human grasping have been achieved. This tactile sensing technology also has been incorporated into insoles, enabling the collection of data on the wearer's pose, activity, and environmental interactions. Furthermore, tactile sensing systems have been integrated into robot end-effectors and robotic skins that enable robots to perceive touch and perform complex manipulation tasks.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.