Experiment on roughness identification using thermal tactile sensor

Thermal tactile method has been used to recognize different thermal properties of materials. In which, temperature sensor detects the temperature change of contact surface. Mechanism of temperature tactile to identify material thermal properties have been analyzed. The thermal conductivity sensing was simulated and tested for the objects in different surface roughness. A Surface Air Layer Model has been proposed, in which the surface of objects is equivalent to smooth objects and a thin air layer. The results showed that the thermal tactile sensor can recognize different roughness of objects, Surface Air Layer Model can explain the influence of the contact morphology well.