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This study introduces a novel durable tactile fingertip designed for robotic manipulation, featuring a soft silicone gel and a replaceable sensing cartridge protected by a textured thermoplastic-polyurethane film. The fingertip was rigorously tested for durability through accelerated sanding and repetitive loading tests, demonstrating a lifespan significantly exceeding that of current commercial sensors. Key results showed that while traditional sensors failed within minutes, the new design maintained functionality for days, marking a substantial improvement in durability for vision-based tactile sensing in demanding applications.
Traditional vision-based tactile sensors fail quickly under stress, but this new fingertip design lasts over two orders of magnitude longer in harsh conditions.
Currently available commercial vision-based tactile sensors provide rich contact information but remain vulnerable to abrasion and repeated concentrated loading, limiting their use in demanding robotic applications. This work presents a durable tactile fingertip comprising a soft silicone gel with a nonpigmented, textured, thin thermoplastic-polyurethane protective film and a replaceable sensing cartridge. Durability was evaluated using two accelerated laboratory procedures: a rotating-drum sanding test and a repetitive probe test applying 39.2 N (4.0 kgf) at 45 cycles per minute. Under the defined sanding conditions, the developed sensor reached the protective-film rupture endpoint after approximately 2-3 hours. During repetitive probe testing, all nine developed sensors remained functionally usable when testing was discontinued: seven after 5 days, one after 6 days, and one after 8 days. Commercial GelSight Mini and DIGIT specimens exhibited initial surface-film rupture after approximately 24-30 seconds of sanding and 25-35 minutes of repetitive loading. Damage to the developed sensor progressed gradually and produced little interference with tactile imaging at the test endpoints. These observations establish durability improvements of more than two orders of magnitude under the defined accelerated conditions. Combining increased durability, gradual degradation, and rapid cartridge replacement offers a practical approach to maintainable vision-based tactile sensing for demanding robotic applications.
