A Soft Tactile Unit with Three-Dimensional Force and Temperature Mathematical Decoupling Ability for Robots

摘要

Human skin exhibits a remarkable capability to perceive contact forces and environmental temperatures, providing complex information that is essential for its subtle control. Despite recent advancements in soft tactile sensors, accurately decoupling signals—specifically separating forces from directional orientation and temperature—remains a challenge thus resulting in failure to meet the advanced application requirements of robots. This study proposes, F 3 T, a multilayer soft sensor unit designed to achieve isolated measurements and mathematical decoupling of normal pressure, omnidirectional tangential forces, and temperature. We developed a circular coaxial magnetic film featuring a floating mount multilayer capacitor that facilitated the physical decoupling of normal and tangential forces in all directions. Additionally, we incorporated an ion gel-based temperature-sensing film into the tactile sensor. The proposed sensor was resilient to external pressures and deformations, and could measure temperature and significantly eliminate capacitor errors induced by environmental temperature changes. In conclusion, our novel design allowed for the decoupled measurement of multiple signals, laying the foundation for advancements in high-level robotic motion control, autonomous decision-making, and task planning.