A Soft Robot Tactile Finger Using Oxidation-Reduction Graphene-Polyurethane Conductive Sponge.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Materials Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Intelligent robotics is expanding beyond traditional industrial roles into service and care sectors.
• Stable robot grasping is essential for complex robotic applications.
• Existing tactile sensors often lack the required sensitivity, responsiveness, or durability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an elastic porous material with tunable properties for soft robot tactile applications.
• To design and fabricate a soft robot tactile fingertip with enhanced gentleness and sensitivity.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of the tactile fingertip in achieving stable grasping with intelligent robots.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of an elastic porous material with adjustable conductivity, hardness, and elastic modulus.
• Integration of the material into a soft robot tactile fingertip design.
• Characterization of the fingertip's sensitivity, response time, pressure measurement capabilities, and long-term stability.
• Demonstration of stable grasping using a two-finger manipulator equipped with the tactile fingertip.

Main Results:

• The developed material offers adjustable conductivity, hardness, and elastic modulus.
• The soft robot tactile fingertip exhibits high sensitivity (~1.089 kPa⁻¹), rapid response (~35 ms), and detects minimal pressures (0.02 N).
• The sensor demonstrates excellent stability (>500 cycles) and a 5-6 fold increase in baseline capacitance.
• Graphene-enhanced polyurethane sponge shows improved adhesion and shock absorption.

Conclusions:

• The novel elastic material and soft robot tactile fingertip show great potential for adaptive grasping in intelligent robotics.
• The tactile fingertip's performance metrics are suitable for advanced robotic manipulation tasks.
• This work contributes to the development of more capable and versatile intelligent robotic systems.