On the Problem of the Automated Design of Large-Scale Robot Skin

This paper describes automated procedures for the design and deployment of artificial skin for humanoid robots. This problem is challenging under different perspectives: on the one hand, different robots are characterized by different shapes, thereby requiring a high degree of skin customization; on the other hand, it is necessary to define optimal criteria specifying how the skin must be placed on robot parts. This paper addresses the problem of optimally covering robot parts with tactile sensors, discussing possible solutions with reference to a specific artificial skin technology for robots, which has been developed in the past few years. Results show that it is possible to automate the majority of the required steps, with promising results in view of a future complete automation of the process.

[1]  Yasuo Kuniyoshi,et al.  A deformable and deformation sensitive tactile distribution sensor , 2007, 2007 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO).

[2]  Matthew Dickerson,et al.  Optimal placement of convex polygons to maximize point containment , 1996, SODA '96.

[3]  Yasuo Kuniyoshi,et al.  Humanoid robot which can lift a 30kg box by whole body contact and tactile feedback , 2007, 2007 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[4]  Giulio Sandini,et al.  Tactile Sensing—From Humans to Humanoids , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[5]  Masayuki Inaba,et al.  Development of soft stretchable knit sensor for humanoids' whole-body tactile sensibility , 2009, 2009 9th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots.

[6]  Vladimir J. Lumelsky,et al.  Fault tolerance via analytic redundancy for a modularized sensitive skin , 1999, Proceedings 1999 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Human and Environment Friendly Robots with High Intelligence and Emotional Quotients (Cat. No.99CH36289).

[7]  Vladimir J. Lumelsky,et al.  Development of sensitive skin for a 3D robot arm operating in an uncertain environment , 1989, Proceedings, 1989 International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[8]  Fulvio Mastrogiovanni,et al.  Tactile sensing: Steps to artificial somatosensory maps , 2010, 19th International Symposium in Robot and Human Interactive Communication.

[9]  M. Gardner.  Knotted doughnuts and other mathematical entertainments , 1986 .

[10]  Mari Velonaki,et al.  Touch modality interpretation for an EIT-based sensitive skin , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[11]  Ronald S. Fearing,et al.  Towards a minimal architecture for a printable, modular, and robust sensing skin , 2012, 2012 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[12]  Vladimir J. Lumelsky,et al.  A sensitive skin system for motion control of robot arm manipulators , 1992, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[13]  Aude Billard,et al.  A survey of Tactile Human-Robot Interactions , 2010, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[14]  Ping Zhang,et al.  A full tactile sensing suite for dextrous robot hands and use in contact force control , 1996, Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[15]  Gill Barequet,et al.  Covering points with a polygon , 2005, Symposium on Computational Geometry.

[16]  Gordon Cheng,et al.  Humanoid Multimodal Tactile-Sensing Modules , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[17]  M. Shimojo,et al.  A High-Speed Mesh of Tactile Sensors Fitting Arbitrary Surfaces , 2010, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[18]  Vladimir J. Lumelsky,et al.  A modularized sensitive skin for motion planning in uncertain environments , 1998, Proceedings. 1998 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.98CH36146).

[19]  Vladimir J. Lumelsky,et al.  Fault tolerance via component redundancy for a modularized sensitive skin , 1999, Proceedings 1999 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.99CH36288C).

[20]  Michael Ian Shamos,et al.  Geometric complexity , 1975, STOC.

[21]  Masayuki Inaba,et al.  A full-body tactile sensor suit using electrically conductive fabric and strings , 1996, Proceedings of IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. IROS '96.

[22]  E. Kolesar,et al.  Object imaging with a piezoelectric robotic tactile sensor , 1993, Proceedings of the IEEE 1993 National Aerospace and Electronics Conference-NAECON 1993.

[23]  E. S. Kolesar,et al.  Piezoelectric polymer tactile sensor arrays for robotics , 1989, Proceedings of the IEEE National Aerospace and Electronics Conference.

[24]  Shigeki Sugano,et al.  Force detectable surface covers for humanoid robots , 2001, 2001 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics. Proceedings (Cat. No.01TH8556).

[25]  Kenichi Osada,et al.  Scalable robotic-hand control system based on a hierarchical multi-processor architecture adopting a large number of tactile sensors , 2012, 2012 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[26]  Kai Hormann,et al.  Surface Parameterization: a Tutorial and Survey , 2005, Advances in Multiresolution for Geometric Modelling.

[27]  Cynthia Breazeal,et al.  A Sensitive Skin for Robotic Companions Featuring Temperature, Force, and Electric Field Sensors , 2006, 2006 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[28]  Giorgio Metta,et al.  A tactile sensor for the fingertips of the humanoid robot iCub , 2010, 2010 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[29]  Leyuan Shi,et al.  IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering.

[30]  Alec Cameron.  Optimal tactile sensor placement , 1989, Proceedings, 1989 International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[31]  Mari Velonaki,et al.  Improved Image Reconstruction for an EIT-Based Sensitive Skin With Multiple Internal Electrodes , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[32]  R. Reston,et al.  Robotic tactile sensor array fabricated from a piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride film , 1990, IEEE Conference on Aerospace and Electronics.

[33]  Vladimir J. Lumelsky,et al.  Proximity sensing in robot manipulator motion planning: system and implementation issues , 1989, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[34]  Fulvio Mastrogiovanni,et al.  Experimental Analysis of Different Pheromone Structures in Ant Colony Optimization for Robotic Skin Design. , 2012 .

[35]  Thomas Ottmann,et al.  Algorithms for Reporting and Counting Geometric Intersections , 1979, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[36]  Giulio Sandini,et al.  An embedded artificial skin for humanoid robots , 2008, 2008 IEEE International Conference on Multisensor Fusion and Integration for Intelligent Systems.

[37]  Fulvio Mastrogiovanni,et al.  Heuristic approaches for the optimal wiring in large scale robotic skin design , 2012, Comput. Oper. Res..

[38]  E. S. Kolesar,et al.  Object imaging with a piezoelectric robotic tactile sensor , 1995 .

[39]  Gordon Cheng,et al.  3D surface reconstruction for robotic body parts with artificial skins , 2012, 2012 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[40]  M. Shimojo,et al.  A system for simultaneously measuring grasping posture and pressure distribution , 1995, Proceedings of 1995 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[41]  H. Worn,et al.  A highly versatile and robust tactile sensing system , 2007, 2007 IEEE Sensors.

[42]  Fulvio Mastrogiovanni,et al.  Design of an embedded networking infrastructure for whole-body tactile sensing in humanoid robots , 2010, 2010 10th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots.

[43]  Heinz Wörn,et al.  Tactile sensing for an anthropomorphic robotic hand: Hardware and signal processing , 2009, 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[44]  Mark Lee,et al.  Review Article Tactile sensing for mechatronics—a state of the art survey , 1999 .

[45]  Jean-Daniel Boissonnat,et al.  Simultaneous containment of several polygons , 1987, SCG '87.

[46]  Fulvio Mastrogiovanni,et al.  Towards automated self-calibration of robot skin , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[47]  Yasuo Kuniyoshi,et al.  Conformable and scalable tactile sensor skin for curved surfaces , 2006, Proceedings 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2006. ICRA 2006..

[48]  Fulvio Mastrogiovanni,et al.  A toolbox for supporting the design of large-scale capacitive tactile systems , 2011, 2011 11th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots.

[49]  Giorgio Metta,et al.  Methods and Technologies for the Implementation of Large-Scale Robot Tactile Sensors , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[50]  Hong Zhang,et al.  Hybrid resistive tactile sensing , 2002, IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. Part B.