A Plenum-Based Calibration Device for Tactile Sensor Arrays

TL;DR

This paper introduces a plenum-based calibration device for tactile sensor arrays that simplifies and accelerates the calibration process by relating air pressure to sensor readings, demonstrated on the iCub robot.

Contribution

A novel plenum chamber device for fast, simple calibration of tactile sensors using air pressure, reducing calibration time and complexity.

Findings

Successful calibration of iCub robot's tactile skin.

Accurate force estimation from sensor readings.

Effective validation with known weights.

Abstract

In modern robotic applications, tactile sensor arrays (i.e., artificial skins) are an emergent solution to determine the locations of contacts between a robot and an external agent. Localizing the point of contact is useful but determining the force applied on the skin provides many additional possibilities. This additional feature usually requires time-consuming calibration procedures to relate the sensor readings to the applied forces. This letter presents a novel device that enables the calibration of tactile sensor arrays in a fast and simple way. The key idea is to design a plenum chamber where the skin is inserted, and then the calibration of the tactile sensors is achieved by relating the air pressure and the sensor readings. This general concept is tested experimentally to calibrate the skin of the iCub robot. The validation of the calibration device is achieved by placing the masses of known weight on the artificial skin and comparing the applied force against the one estimated by the sensors.