RoTip: A Finger-Shaped Tactile Sensor with Active Rotation Capability

TL;DR

RoTip is a novel vision-based tactile sensor with active rotation, enabling dynamic manipulation of objects by sensing contact across its entire surface, thus improving dexterity in robotic manipulation tasks.

Contribution

Introduction of RoTip, a finger-shaped tactile sensor with independent joint control and full-surface contact sensing, enhancing manipulation capabilities.

Findings

Successfully manipulated rigid and flexible objects.

Demonstrated full-surface tactile feedback.

Enabled active rotation for complex tasks.

Abstract

In recent years, advancements in optical tactile sensor technology have primarily centred on enhancing sensing precision and expanding the range of sensing modalities. To meet the requirements for more skilful manipulation, there should be a movement towards making tactile sensors more dynamic. In this paper, we introduce RoTip, a novel vision-based tactile sensor that is uniquely designed with an independently controlled joint and the capability to sense contact over its entire surface. The rotational capability of the sensor is particularly crucial for manipulating everyday objects, especially thin and flexible ones, as it enables the sensor to mobilize while in contact with the object's surface. The manipulation experiments demonstrate the ability of our proposed RoTip to manipulate rigid and flexible objects, and the full-finger tactile feedback and active rotation capabilities have the potential to explore more complex and precise manipulation tasks.