What are the typical requirements for an industrial tactile sensor? Explain how a tactile sensor differs from a simple touch sensor.
Define the spatial resolution and force resolution (or sensitivity) of a tactile sensor.
The spatial resolution of your fingertip can be determined by a simple experiment using two pins and a helper. Close your eyes. Instruct the helper to apply one pin or both pins randomly to your fingertip so that you will feel the pressure of the tip of the pins. You should respond by telling the helper whether you feel both pins or just one pin. If you feel both pins, the helper should decrease the spacing of the two pins in the next round of tests. The test should be repeated in this manner by successively decreasing the spacing between the pins until you feel only one pin when both pins are actually applied. Then measure the distance between the two pins in millimeters. The largest spacing between the two pins that will result in this incorrect sensation corresponds to the spatial resolution of your fingertip. Repeat this experiment for all your fingers, repeating the test several times on each finger. Compute the average and the standard deviation. Then perform the test on other subjects. Discuss your results. Do you notice large variations in the results?