Haptic perception in human robotic systems

Abstract

Why is haptic perception essential in human robotic systems? This question is often posed in connection with humanoid robots. First of all, humanoid robots are intended to assist people in a typical human environment. A person expects a humanoid robot to think, move, act, and communicate in a human-like manner. This also includes the usage of typical human senses like vision, hearing and tactile sensing. Second, a robot manipulating items in an unstructured environment like a person's home needs to have some haptic feedback: information whether an item is firmly grasped or sliding is important for handling objects. Third, different kinds of haptic and tactile feedback are required for moving and acting in a human-built environment: collision detection just as well as haptic feedback for actions or control by a human operator.