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Article

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23/11/2024

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Joris Köster

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====== Robotic Skin: When Robots Feel Human Touch ======

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===== Overview =====

This research project, developed within the Human Media Interaction (HMI) department at the University of Twente, introduces a haptic skin system designed to enhance tactile feedback in human-robot interaction. The system features a capacitive sensing skin that can be mounted on the chest of a robot to detect physical touch. This touch data is processed by a computer and mapped onto the user’s chest using the bHaptics TactSuit, allowing the user to experience the touch sensations in real time.

The computer plays a central role in processing the capacitive touch data from the robotic skin and transmitting it to the TactSuit via custom software. This enables precise mapping of the robot's chest interactions onto the corresponding areas of the user’s chest. The system can also operate without a robot by directly connecting the haptic skin to a computer and the TactSuit for standalone demonstrations and research applications.

This article provides a detailed explanation of the haptic skin system, its functionality, and its development within the HMI department, along with its potential applications in teleoperation, training simulations, and tactile feedback research.

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===== Current State ======

The project is currently pursued by [[https://www.utwente.nl/en/eemcs/hmi/hmi-people-pages/|Camile Sallaberry]] and ... [Placeholder]

===== Further Resources =====

- A more in-depth and technical explanation of the project can be found [[technical_overview|here]].

- If you want to learn how the demo can be set up, [[https://interaction-lab.wiki.utwente.nl/haptics:bhaptics_tactsuit:robotic_skin_new:demo_setup|click here]].

===== Contact & Collaborations =====

The lead researcher for this project is [[https://www.utwente.nl/en/eemcs/hmi/hmi-people-pages/|Camile Sallaberry]]. For any questions or collaboration inquiries, please feel free to contact him.