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Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex.

Design Example: Resistive Touchscreen

Design Example: Resistive Touchscreen

A device engineer plays a crucial role in designing user interfaces for mobile devices. One such interface is the resistive touchscreen, which fundamentally consists of two metallic layers: a flexible upper layer and a rigid lower layer, separated by a narrow gap. The high resistance between these two layers is a key characteristic of this design.
When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact at a specific point known as the touchpoint. This contact reduces the resistance between...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2025

A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS

A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS

Published on: June 3, 2009

A robust and omnidirectional-sensitive electronic antenna for tactile-induced perception.

Hao Ren^1,2, Liu Yang^2,3,4, Hong-Yuan Chang²

¹The Robot and Automation Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Nature Communications

|April 1, 2025

Summary

Researchers developed a robust, insect antenna-inspired electronic tactile sensor for robots. This sensor excels in active environmental interaction and navigation tasks, significantly improving robotic capabilities.

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Last Updated: May 16, 2025

A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator TAPS

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Published on: June 3, 2009

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects

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Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator TSPAS

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Published on: July 30, 2020

Area of Science:

Robotics and Materials Science
Biomimetic Engineering

Background:

Traditional skin-like tactile sensors struggle with active environmental interaction and mechanical robustness.
Biological antennas of nocturnal insects offer inspiration for enhanced sensory capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce a novel electronic tactile sensor inspired by insect biological antennas.
To enhance robotic capabilities in active environmental perception and interaction through improved tactile sensing.

Main Methods:

Designed a tactile sensor with segmented flexibility and partial magnetization for mechanical robustness.
Achieved omnidirectional loading recognition through specialized design and algorithms.
Integrated the sensor with a tactile perception algorithm for robotic applications.

Main Results:

The sensor demonstrated exceptional mechanical robustness, withstanding extreme deformations (1800% twist, 224% stretch, 360° bend).
Achieved 1.76° omnidirectional loading recognition accuracy, significantly outperforming biological antennas.
Enabled vision-free navigation with 0.2 mm tracking deviation and 97% ground texture recognition accuracy.
Successfully performed conformal robotic brushing on serpentine surfaces with low force variance (0.34 N).

Conclusions:

The developed tactile sensor offers superior mechanical robustness and sensing accuracy compared to existing technologies.
Its plug-and-play capability and advanced algorithms facilitate seamless integration into various robotic systems.
This research advances active tactile-based environmental perception and interaction, with broad implications for robotics.