Tactile sensor based manipulation of an unknown object by a multifingered hand with rolling contact

A new motion control system using tactile feedback is investigated for the manipulation of an object by a multifingered hand where the fingertips and the object make rolling contact. The proposed control system is capable of determining the motion of fingers so that the hand manipulates the object along the desired trajectory according to the tactile feedback at the fingertip. The advantage of the algorithm developed here is that geometrical information about the object to be manipulated is not necessary and therefore the algorithm can be applied to the manipulation of an unknown object. First, a mathematical model of the kinematics of the manipulation with rolling contact at the fingertip is formulated. Next, a trajectory planning algorithm for the fingers is derived. Finally, the previously developed finger-shaped tactile sensor using an optical waveguide is installed on the two-fingered hand, and the superiority of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through computer simulations and experiments.