Gesture Identification and Object Temperature Detection of a Robotic Hand Using a Wireless Flexible Sensing Feedback Control System

The ability of robotic hands to sense their environment and provide feedback is becoming increasingly vital for advanced robotic systems. Real-time tactile interaction is crucial for ensuring safe and effective human-machine collaboration. However, conventional sensors face significant challenges in accurately sensing and distinguishing multiple physical signals, thus limiting their applications in intelligent robotic systems. Herein, we developed a control system comprising multifunctional sensor, corresponding circuitry, and a feedback control unit, enabling a robotic hand to perceive and respond to environmental strain and temperature during grasping tasks. Therein, a P(VDF-TrFE) membrane and a nanographene sheet are combined to form the sensor. A linear inverse method is proposed to decouple the strain and temperature responses, simplifying the process. Furthermore, we designed an acquisition circuit that uses Bluetooth transmission to display the decoupled signals on a mobile device. Then the feedback control section is designed based on the data collected by the measurement circuit. Finally, the flexible multimodal sensor patch is attached to a robotic hand, demonstrating its ability to precisely identify varying strains and temperatures while grasping objects with an accuracy of 0.8°C and 0.013%. And it can provide feedback control for the robotic hand's actions in response to the sensed strain and temperature changes. The proposed sensing system integrates flexible structure, wireless signal transmission, and feedback control, along with exceptional sensitivity and linearity in strain and temperature detection. The characteristics facilitate the application in intelligent robotic systems. © 2016 IEEE.