Development of an Integrated Tactile Sensor System for Clothes Manipulation and Classification Using Industrial Grippers

This paper presents the design and development of a novel tactile sensor system for clothes manipulation and perception using industrial grippers. The proposed system consists of a multi-modal tactile sensor and embedded re-programmable interface electronics. The sensing element features a matrix of capacitive pressure sensors, a microphone for acoustic measurements, and a proximity and ambient light sensor. The sensor is fully embedded and can be easily integrated at mechanical and electrical levels with industrial grippers. Tactile sensing design has been put on the same level of additional requirements, such as the mechanical interface, cable harness, and robustness against continuous and repetitive operations, just to name but a few. The performances of the different sensing modalities have been experimentally assessed using a test rig for tactile sensors and the system has been successfully integrated and tested on a real robotic gripper. Experiments have been performed in order to show the capabilities of the sensor for implementing tactile-based industrial gripper control.