OPTICAL TACTILE ARRAY FOR ROBOTIC AND AUTOMATION APPLICATIONS

THE PROPOSED FIBER OPTIC TACTILE SENSOR USES VARIABLE BIREFRINGENCE TO PROVIDE A MUCH NEEDED ROBOTIC END EFFECTOR WITH SENSING CAPABILITIES INCLUDING PRESSURE, FORCE, TOUCH AND PROXIMITY. A TWO-DIMENSIONAL ARRAY OF THESE MINIATURE PRESSURE SENSORS PROVIDES A PLANAR TACTILE SENSOR. A MAJOR ADVANTAGE OF THIS SENSOR IS THAT NO ACTIVE ELECTRONICS ARE SITUATED AT THE ARRAY SITE. THUS, IT CAN BE USED IN EXTREMELY HARSH ENVIRONMENTS. A 3X3 TACTILE ARRAY WILL BE BUILT AND TESTED IN THE PHASE I EFFORT. PHASE II WORK WILL EXTEND THE NUMBER OF ARRAY POINTS AND INVESTIGATE FABRICATING THE DEVICE ON A LITHIUM NIOBATE SUBSTRATE. THISINTEGRATED OPTIC APPROACH WILL INCREASE SPATIAL RESOLUTION OF THE SENSOR AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF FIBER CONNECTIONS.