Scientists have developed an electronic textile that mimics how human nerves detect pressure and slippage when grasping objects. Integrated into robotic fingers, the sensor system enables dynamic adjustments to grip. The project highlights its potential applications in fields where precise handling is required, including manufacturing tasks, prosthetic limbs, and robotic surgical instruments.
- Researchers mounted the sensor on 3D-printed robotic fingers connected to a compliant gripper developed by the group, which was designed by the team of scientists at the University at Buffalo, US.
- The integration allowed the robotic gripper to detect slippage and dynamically adjust compliance and grip force during in-hand manipulation tasks that were previously difficult to achieve.
- The sensor generates direct-current electricity from friction between materials during slight movement, a phenomenon identified in the study as the tribovoltaic effect.
- The study, ‘Slip-actuated bionic tactile sensing system with dynamic DC generator integrated E-textile for dexterous robotic manipulation’, was authored by Jun Liu and colleagues, and published in Nature Communications on 30 July.
THE PROJECT: The research describes a sensor functioning like human skin — flexible, sensitive, and able to detect both pressure and slip. Tested on robotic fingers, it demonstrated reaction speeds from 0.76 to 38 milliseconds, comparable to the 1–50 milliseconds of human touch receptors. The team notes the stronger or faster the slip, the stronger the sensor’s response, aiding potential control algorithm development.
- The study was supported by funding from UB’s Centre of Excellence in Materials Informatics.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: The technology’s capability to sense slip and pressure could influence tasks where humans and robots collaborate closely. Manufacturing assembly, product packaging, and surgical robotics are among areas that might benefit from enhanced precision. Prosthetic devices may also gain improved tactile responsiveness, potentially enabling more natural control for users. These developments could shape how robots interact with objects and tools.
- The textile sensor can detect both pressure and subtle slip, providing tactile information similar to that of human skin in collaborative tasks.
- The study identifies manufacturing assembly and packaging as potential application areas where such tactile sensing could improve handling accuracy where humans and robots collaborate.
- Prosthetic limb users could benefit from improved tactile sensing, allowing devices to detect pressure and slip in ways closer to human skin.
BY THE MILLISECONDS: Experiments measured the system’s response time under varying conditions. Results showed a range from 0.76 milliseconds to 38 milliseconds, depending on the test. Human touch receptors typically react within 1 to 50 milliseconds. The correlation between slip intensity and sensor output strength may make it easier to design algorithms that enable robots to handle objects with precision.
- Response times from 0.76 to 38 milliseconds were recorded, aligning with the biological range of human touch receptors’ 1–50 milliseconds.
- Stronger or faster slip produced a correspondingly stronger electrical signal from the sensor, making it easier to build control algorithms to enable the robot to act with precision.
- The sensor functions like human skin, remaining flexible and highly sensitive and uniquely capable of detecting not just pressure but also subtle slip and movement of objects.
WHERE THINGS STAND: The University at Buffalo team has already integrated the sensor into a robotic gripper and tested its ability to detect slip. When a copper weight was pulled from the gripper’s fingers, the system sensed the slip and increased its grip strength immediately. The researchers describe this capability as a step towards robotic hands functioning more like human hands.
- For example, when researchers tried to pull a copper weight from the fingers, the gripper sensed this and immediately tightened its grip.
- The slight movement of the object causes friction between the two materials, which in turn generates direct-current electricity, a phenomenon known as the tribovoltaic effect.
- Researchers integrated the sensing system onto a pair of 3D-printed robotic fingers that are mounted to a compliant robotic gripper developed by Esfahani’s group.
UP NEXT: The research team plans additional testing of the sensing system. They intend to integrate reinforcement learning — a type of artificial intelligence — to further improve robotic dexterity. This could help refine how robots handle objects in varying situations.
- The research team is planning additional testing of the sensing system, including integrating a form of artificial intelligence known as reinforcement learning that could further improve the robot’s dexterity.
WHAT THEY SAID:
The applications are very exciting … The technology could be used in manufacturing tasks like assembling products and packaging them — basically any situation where humans and robots collaborate. It could also help improve robotic surgery tools and prosthetic limbs.
— Jun Liu (Corresponding Author)
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University at Buffalo
Our sensor functions like human skin — it’s flexible, highly sensitive and uniquely capable of detecting not just pressure, but also subtle slip and movement of objects. It’s like giving machines a real sense of touch and grip, and this breakthrough could transform how robots, prosthetics and human-machine interaction systems interact with the world around them.
— Vashin Gautham (First Author)
PhD Candidate
University at Buffalo
