情報処理学会 第79回全国大会講演要旨

Many robots require tactile sensors ー the ability to give a robot the “sense of touch”. Typically, optics-based tactile sensors utilize a camera to detect deformation of a senor pad, but these methods often result in higher power consumption and computational complexity. Additionally, cameras also increase the overall size of the devices due to the requisite focal lengths. We propose a flexible, optics-based tactile sensor system using photo-voltaic sensors rather than cameras. Our system detects not only pressure distribution but also the relative stiffness of the target object. In order to improve the utility, we focused on decreasing the overall device thickness and enhancing it's precision resulting in a sensor that is lighter, requires fewer cables, uses less energy consumption, and is easier to produce as compared to camera-based approaches.