Challenges in developing soft tactile sensors for robots that detect incipient slip

This paper focuses on tactile sensors capable of detecting incipient slip. First, a review on the state of the art in incipient slip detection technologies is conducted. Next, we explain tactile perception of the human hands, emphasising on the incipient slip sensing. The mechanism of incipient slip is explained via displacement and acceleration results of a finite element analysis (FEA) conducted on a biological fingertip. Next, an example for the usage of incipient slip detection to manipulate objects is presented. Later, the requirements for a robotic tactile system capable of detecting incipient slip is stated. Finally, challenges in developing sensors for tactile perception particularly in the application of incipient slip detection is presented.