Incipient Slip Detection for Rectilinear Movements using the PapillArray Tactile Sensor

It is critical during dexterous manipulation to avoid dropping the object. It is believed that humans can rapidly detect object slip and subsequently correct the applied gripped forces to prevent losing the grasp. In this paper, we present, validate, and analyze an incipient slip detection method using force and displacement signals from the PapillArray tactile sensor, detecting slip on some of the sensors' pillars before gross slip occurs. Slips events were verified by external camera tracking and these verified slip events used to validate a slip detection algorithm that operates solely on the PapillArray signals. The proposed method was successful in identifying the instances of slip using PapillArray data (83% precision and 82% sensitivity) and in being able to detect incipient slip before gross slip for different velocities of lateral movements. Future work will test its effectiveness on rotational movements, and non-planar object surfaces.