Implementing Monocular Visual-Tactile Sensors for Robust Manipulation

Tactile sensing is an essential capability for robots performing manipulation tasks. In this paper, we introduce a framework to build a monocular visual-tactile sensor for robotic manipulation tasks. Such a sensor is easy to manufacture with affordable ingredients and materials. Based on a marker-based detection method, the sensor can detect the contact positions on a flat or curved surface. In the case study, we have implemented a visual-tactile sensor design specifically through the framework proposed in this paper. The design is low cost and can be processed in a very short time, making it suitable for use as an exploratory study in the laboratory.