Advanced Tactile Sensing for Dexterous Robot Hands in Industrial Automation and Assembly

Robotic actuators exceed human speed, accuracy, and strength, but human hands are regarded as the ultimate in dexterity. We propose this is due absent human-like tactile sensing and intelligent reflexive behaviors in robots. We’ve created multimodal compliant tactile sensors that mimic the sensory ability of the human fingertip and algorithms that fill this absence. In this research we will integrate these with the Schunk Dexterous Hand (SDH). Working with NIST and our partners we will develop measures of robotic grasper dexterity and use them to evaluate our new tactile sensory technology with the older tactile sensors of the SDH. This will lead to a new level of dexterity, enabling advanced applications in industrial automation and assembly.