Tactile Sensor Elements based on Commercial Components: An Experimental Comparison

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Sonja Gross - , Technical University of Munich, Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI) (Author)
  • Lingyun Chen - , Technical University of Munich, Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI) (Author)
  • Edmundo Pozo Fortunic - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Manuel Krummschmidt - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Johannes Ringwald - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Amartya Ganguly - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Sami Haddadin - , Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (Author)

Abstract

Despite notable advancements in tactile sensing, the lack of comparability between prototypes continues to hinder the development of versatile, accessible, and multimodal sensing systems that utilize sensor fusion to replicate the capabilities of human skin. To address this, we evaluated nine sensor prototypes based on commercially available components utilizing four transduction principles—barometric, resistive, magnetic, and piezoelectric—through an accessible robot-driven test setup replicating diverse loading conditions critical for robotic grasping. Barometric sensors achieved the highest accuracy (≤2.4% of range) during linear loading, while magnetic sensors outperformed across all scenarios, including sliding experiments with response times (≈ 50 ms) exceeding those of the piezoelectric sensor. The 3-D-printed piezoresistive sensors enabled qualitative contact detection but were less effective for precise force measurements due to relaxation in quasi-static cases. These reproducible findings highlight the strengths of each sensor realization, providing valuable insights for future applications and sensor fusion strategies.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)37802-37809
Number of pages8
JournalIEEE sensors journal
Volume25
Issue number20
Early online date11 Sept 2025
Publication statusPublished - 15 Oct 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • Barometer, Comparison, Magnetic, Piezoelectric, Piezoresistive, Robotic Grasping, Sensor Fusion, Tactile Sensors