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Fingertip Fiber Optical Tactile Array with Two-Level Spring Structure

Konstantinova, J; Stilli, A; Althoefer, K; (2017) Fingertip Fiber Optical Tactile Array with Two-Level Spring Structure. Sensors , 17 (10) 10.3390/s17102337. Green open access

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Abstract

Tactile perception is a feature benefiting reliable grasping and manipulation. This paper presents the design of an integrated fingertip force sensor employing an optical fiber based approach where applied forces modulate light intensity. The proposed sensor system is developed to support grasping of a broad range of objects, including those that are hard as well those that are soft. The sensor system is comprised of four sensing elements forming a tactile array integrated with the tip of a finger. We investigate the design configuration of a separate force sensing element with the aim to improve its measurement range. The force measurement of a single tactile element is based on a two-level displacement that is achieved thanks to a hybrid sensing structure made up of a stiff linear and flexible ortho-planar spring. An important outcome of this paper is a miniature tactile fingertip sensor that is capable of perceiving light contact, typically occurring during the initial stages of a grasp, as well as measuring higher forces, commonly present during tight grasps.

Type: Article
Title: Fingertip Fiber Optical Tactile Array with Two-Level Spring Structure
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.3390/s17102337
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.3390/s17102337
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: tactile sensing; force sensing; grasping
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Med Phys and Biomedical Eng
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10041179
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