215 research outputs found
Decoding of naturalistic textures from spike patterns of neuromorphic artificial mechanoreceptors
No full textSoft-neuromorphic artificial touch for applications in neuro-robotics
No full textWe propose an artificial mechanotransduction system based on a 2×2 MEMS array touch sensor, and evaluate a neural model which is designed to convert raw sensor outputs into neural spike-trains. We show that core tactile information is preserved in the neural representation, and that the resulting modulation via spikes can be used in surface discrimination tasks. In this research study the first neural stage (i.e., at mechanoreceptor level) of somatosensory system was mimicked in a soft-neuromorphic fashion, while future works will target the implementation of the 2nd order stage (Cuneate neurons) to further understand the biological mechanisms underlying maximum transfer and fast processing of tactile information
experimental evaluation of tactile sensors for oral and maxillofacial surgery
No full textThe sense of touch is fundamental in surgery. It provides information about the clinical condition of tissues and feedback for controlling surgical gestures. In the last decade the use of sophisticated and low-invasive surgical techniques has limited the interaction of surgeons via their own hands. In fact the introduction of laparoscopic, endoscopic and robotic surgery has reduced the invasiveness of procedures of but also the possibility of direct control and palpation. Despite the clinical evidence on the advantages and added value of such new surgical technologies, the lack of tactile interaction remains a limiting factor. The role of tactile information concerns sensing, for example, the pressure necessary to incise a tissue or to tighten the knot of a suture or the palpation of an anatomical structure. Traditionally, tactile information is received by the own hand of the operator or through the surgical instrumentation. In fact, palpation using hands has always been a prominent part of the objective examination, allowing the physician to determine the location of pathological conditions that escape sight. In addition, it also provides information about extension, consistency and pain of hidden pathologies. Each tissue has its own tactile peculiarities as well as each procedure requires specific tool-tissue interaction. Errors in a surgical procedure due to the lack of tactile information or inadequate tool-tissue interaction forces are common and, therefore, acquiring this kind of knowledge is paramount to enhance surgical performance and education
Synthetic and Bio-Artificial Tactile Sensing: A Review
No full textThis paper reviews the state of the art of artificial tactile sensing, with a particular focus on bio-hybrid and fully-biological approaches. To this aim, the study of physiology of the human sense of touch and of the coding mechanisms of tactile information is a significant starting point, which is briefly explored in this review. Then, the progress towards the development of an artificial sense of touch are investigated. Artificial tactile sensing is analysed with respect to the possible approaches to fabricate the outer interface layer: synthetic skin versus bio-artificial skin. With particular respect to the synthetic skin approach, a brief overview is provided on various technologies and transduction principles that can be integrated beneath the skin layer. Then, the main focus moves to approaches characterized by the use of bio-artificial skin as an outer layer of the artificial sensory system. Within this design solution for the skin, bio-hybrid and fully-biological tactile sensing systems are thoroughly presented: while significant results have been reported for the development of tissue engineered skins, the development of mechanotransduction units and their integration is a recent trend that is still lagging behind, therefore requiring research efforts and investments. In the last part of the paper, application domains and perspectives of the reviewed tactile sensing technologies are discussed
A Biomimetic MEMS-based Tactile Sensor Array with Fingerprints integrated in a Robotic Fingertip for Artificial Roughness Encoding
No full textThis work shows the accomplishment of a full integration of a biomimetic 2 à 2 tactile array and related electronics in an artificial fingertip. The technological approach is based on merging 3D MEMS sensors and skin-like artificial materials that are moulded mimicking human epidermal ridges. Experimental results using a mechatronic tactile stimulator for indenting periodic gratings (spatial periodicity from 400 ¿m to 1900 ¿m) and sliding them at constant speeds (from 5 mm/s to 40 mm/s) under regulated normal contact forces (between 100 mN and 400 mN) show that the developed sensing technology is suitable for fine roughness encoding: a frequency shift of the principal spectral component arising from sensor outputs was observed coherently with the spatial periodicity of the used ridged stimuli and their sliding velocity. Such phenomenon is pointed out with fine gratings particularly when the stimulation is operated along the proximal-distal direction of the finger (i.e. with sliding motion of the ridges of the stimulus across the ridges of the packaging) showing a more marked frequency locked behavior if compared to the radial-ulnar stimulation (i.e. with sliding motion of the ridges of the grating along the ridges of the packaging)
Selective stimulation with intraneural electrodes for bionic limb prostheses can contribute to shed light on human touch sensorimotor integration
No full textHaptic-assistive technologies for audition and vision sensory disabilities
No full textThe aim of this review is to analyze haptic sensory substitution technologies for deaf, blind and deaf-blind individuals
Review of Assistive Strategies in Powered Lower-Limb Orthoses and Exoskeletons
No full textStarting from the early research in the 1960s, especially in the last two decades, orthoses and exoskeletons have been significantly developed. They are designed in different architectures to assist their users’ movements. The research literature has been more prolific on lower-limb devices: a main reason is that they address a basic but fundamental motion task, walking. Leg exoskeletons are simpler to design, compared to upper-limb counterparts, but still have particular cognitive and physical requirements from the emerging human–robot interaction systems. In the state of the art, different control strategies and approaches can be easily found: it is still a challenge to develop an assistive strategy which makes the exoskeleton supply efficient and natural assistance. So, this paper aims to provide a systematic overview of the assistive strategies utilized by active locomotion–augmentation orthoses and exoskeletons. Based on the literature collected from Web of Science and Scopus, we have studied the main robotic devices with a focus on the way they are controlled to deliver assistance; the relevant validations are as well investigated, in particular experimentations with human in the loop. Finally current trends and major challenges in the development of an assistive strategy are concluded and discussed
Editorial: Human-Like Advances in Robotics: Motion, Actuation, Sensing, Cognition and Control
No full text- …
