Dense Tactile Force Distribution Estimation using GelSlim and inverse FEM

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new version of tactile sensor GelSlim 2.0 with the capability to estimate the contact force distribution in real time. The sensor is vision-based and uses an array of markers to track deformations on a gel pad due to contact. A new hardware design makes the sensor more rugged, parametrically adjustable and improves illumination. Leveraging the sensor's increased functionality, we propose to use inverse Finite Element Method (iFEM), a numerical method to reconstruct the contact force distribution based on marker displacements. The sensor is able to provide force distribution of contact with high spatial density. Experiments and comparison with ground truth show that the reconstructed force distribution is physically reasonable with good accuracy.

arXiv comment6 pages, 12 figures, Submitted to ICRA 2019

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Ground truth force distribution for learning-based tactile sensing: a finite element approach
• Towards Learning to Detect and Predict Contact Events on Vision-based Tactile Sensors
• 6DLS: Modeling Nonplanar Frictional Surface Contacts for Grasping using 6D Limit Surfaces
• Tactile-Based Insertion for Dense Box-Packing