Design of a new robot skin

Abstract

Because of the complexity of current robot tactile sensors' matrix structures, it is not suitable for covering the entire body of a robot. Therefore, a new type of robot skin tactile sensor is designed, which consists of conductive fiber, insulating points, silicone rubber insulating sheet and only six connectors. The force magnitude is indirectly obtained by measuring the capacitance changes, and the force action position is detected according to the principle of resistive voltage divider, without the needs of any other force sensors. Experiment results show that the sensor has force and position detection capability, meanwhile the wiring complexity of the sensor matrix is reduced. So it can be used as the full-body tactile sensor of robots.