Amidst the recent increase in robot accidents, including worker injuries caused by industrial robots, a world-first tactile sensing system capable of simultaneously sensing multiple tactile sensations like human skin has been developed for use in high-priced robots and wearable devices that require tactile information. It is expected to be used in manufacturing process automation systems, robots in daily life, and customized prosthetic limbs.

The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Ryu Seok-hyun) under the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 21st that the research team of Research Director Lim Hyeon-ui of the Nano Convergence Equipment Research Department recently developed a real-time multi-tactile sensing system that provides real-time tactile information like human skin, and published the related research results in the prestigious journal Soft Robotics (IF: 7.9).

According to a presentation by the researchers, the multi-tactile sensing system, which mimics the principle of detecting various types of touch on human skin and transmitting them to the brain, consists of four tactile sensors and modules responsible for signal processing, transmission, and analysis, and can identify various touches and surface textures and distinguish complex movements based on them.

This system allows you to feel the same tactile sensations as human skin, such as warmth, surface roughness, and slip.

The tactile sensing system uses 3D printing technology to create flexible electrodes that are easy to bend and connect them to the FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) of the electronic module, allowing for easy signal processing of four tactile sensors that detect temperature, vibration, shear force, and vertical pressure.

Previous studies have used various external measuring devices and analysis equipment to detect various types of tactile sensations, but their large size and complex system configuration make them difficult to apply to wearable devices or robots.

On the other hand, the system developed this time is thinly layered and vertically stacked with four tactile sensors, and is developed to simultaneously receive module information that converts, transmits, and analyzes the corresponding signals, so it can be applied to actual robots or wearable devices in a lightweight and simple form.

Lim Hyeon, head of research, said, “The real-time multi-tactile sensing system can feel multiple senses simultaneously by imitating the human sensory system, and is superior to existing sensors. He said, “This is a technology that solves problems that arise due to complex signal processing or detection systems,” and “If applied to robots, wearable devices, and prosthetic limbs, it can be utilized in manufacturing and patient rehabilitation exercises, contributing to the improvement of public welfare and safety.”

Meanwhile, this research was conducted with the support of the Ministry of Science and ICT's 'Bionic Arm Mechatronics Convergence Research Project' and the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials' basic project 'Development of Nano-based Omni-TEX Manufacturing Technology'.