Experimental testbed for robot skin characterization and interaction control

Abstract

Future robot skin will consist of massive numbers of sensors embedded in flexible and compliant elastomer substrate. To test and characterize pressure-sensitive skin prototypes, we have built an experimental testbed capable of applying controlled loading profiles, using the data to create reduced-order models of skin sensors for simulation and control. Measurement data from a load applicator and embedded taxel is acquired using National Instruments real-time control technology. Reduced-order models were proposed to relate the load applied to robot skin to the load sensed by the embedded taxel. Experiments for soft skin material characterization and taxel characterization were also undertaken with the testbed to better understand their nonlinear behavior. With this setup current and future skin sensor designs undergoing a range of loading profiles can be tested and modeled.