Intelligent Recognition Using Ultralight Multifunctional Nano‑Layered Carbon Aerogel Sensors with Human‑Like Tactile Perception

Humans can perceive our complex world through multi-sensory fusion.Under limited visual conditions,people can sense a variety of tactile signals to identify objects accurately and rapidly.However,replicating this unique capability in robots remains a significant challenge.Here,we present a new form of ultralight multifunctional tactile nano-layered carbon aerogel sensor that provides pressure,temperature,material recognition and 3D location capabilities,which is combined with multimodal supervised learning algorithms for object recognition.The sensor exhibits human-like pressure(0.04–100 kPa)and temperature(21.5–66.2℃)detection,millisecond response times(11 ms),a pressure sensitivity of 92.22 kPa^(−1)and triboelectric durability of over 6000 cycles.The devised algorithm has universality and can accommodate a range of application scenarios.The tactile system can identify common foods in a kitchen scene with 94.63%accuracy and explore the topographic and geomorphic features of a Mars scene with 100%accuracy.This sensing approach empowers robots with versatile tactile perception to advance future society toward heightened sensing,recognition and intelligence.

Bioinspired Passive Tactile Sensors Enabled by Reversible Polarization of Conjugated Polymers

Tactile perception plays a vital role for the human body and is also highly desired for smart prosthesis and advanced robots.Compared to active sensing devices,passive piezoelectric and triboelectric tactile sensors consume less power,but lack the capability to resolve static stimuli.Here,we address this issue by utilizing the unique polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers for the first time and propose a new type of bioinspired,passive,and bio-friendly tactile sensors for resolving both static and dynamic stimuli.Specifically,to emulate the polarization process of natural sensory cells,conjugated polymers(including poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophen e):poly(styrenesulfonate),polyaniline,or polypyrrole)are controllably polarized into two opposite states to create artificial potential differences.The controllable and reversible polarization process of the conjugated polymers is fully in situ characterized.Then,a micro-structured ionic electrolyte is employed to imitate the natural ion channels and to encode external touch stimulations into the variation in potential difference outputs.Compared with the currently existing tactile sensing devices,the developed tactile sensors feature distinct characteristics including fully organic composition,high sensitivity(up to 773 mV N^(−1)),ultralow power consumption(nW),as well as superior bio-friendliness.As demonstrations,both single point tactile perception(surface texture perception and material property perception)and two-dimensional tactile recognitions(shape or profile perception)with high accuracy are successfully realized using self-defined machine learning algorithms.This tactile sensing concept innovation based on the polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers opens up a new path to create robotic tactile sensors and prosthetic electronic skins.

Suitability of SDN and MEC to facilitate digital twin communication over LTE-A

Haptic is the modality that complements traditional multimedia,i.e.,audiovisual,to evolve the next wave of innovation at which the Internet data stream can be exchanged to enable remote skills and control applications.This will require ultra-low latency and ultra-high reliability to evolve the mobile experience into the era of Digital Twin and Tactile Internet.While the 5th generation of mobile networks is not yet widely deployed,Long-Term Evolution(LTE-A)latency remains much higher than the 1 ms requirement for the Tactile Internet and therefore the Digital Twin.This work investigates an interesting solution based on the incorporation of Software-defined networking(SDN)and Multi-access Mobile Edge Computing(MEC)technologies in an LTE-A network,to deliver future multimedia applications over the Tactile Internet while overcoming the QoS challenges.Several network scenarios were designed and simulated using Riverbed modeler and the performance was evaluated using several time-related Key Performance Indicators(KPIs)such as throughput,End-2-End(E2E)delay,and jitter.The best scenario possible is clearly the one integrating MEC and SDN approaches,where the overall delay,jitter,and throughput for haptics-attained 2 ms,0.01 ms,and 1000 packets per second.The results obtained give clear evidence that the integration of,both SDN and MEC,in LTE-A indicates performance improvement,and fulfills the standard requirements in terms of the above KPIs,for realizing a Digital Twin/Tactile Internet-based system.

用于重建物理和虚拟抓取的可重构数据手套

In this work,we present a reconfigurable data glove design to capture different modes of human hand-object interactions,which are critical in training embodied artificial intelligence(AI)agents for fine manipulation tasks.To achieve various downstream tasks with distinct features,our reconfigurable data glove operates in three modes sharing a unified backbone design that reconstructs hand gestures in real time.In the tactile-sensing mode,the glove system aggregates manipulation force via customized force sensors made from a soft and thin piezoresistive material;this design minimizes interference during complex hand movements.The virtual reality(VR)mode enables real-time interaction in a physically plausible fashion:A caging-based approach is devised to determine stable grasps by detecting collision events.Leveraging a state-of-the-art finite element method,the simulation mode collects data on fine-grained four-dimensionalmanipulation events comprising hand and object motions in three-dimensional space and how the object's physical properties(e.g.,stress and energy)change in accordance with manipulation over time.Notably,the glove system presented here is the first to use high-fidelity simulation to investigate the unobservable physical and causal factors behind manipulation actions.In a series of experiments,we characterize our data glove in terms of individual sensors and the overall system.More specifically,we evaluate the system's three modes by①recording hand gestures and associated forces,②improving manipulation fluency in VR,and③producing realistic simulation effects of various tool uses,respectively.Based on these three modes,our reconfigurable data glove collects and reconstructs fine-grained human grasp data in both physical and virtual environments,thereby opening up new avenues for the learning of manipulation skills for embodied AI agents.

Optical micro/nanofiber enabled tactile sensors and soft actuators:A review

As a combination of fiber optics and nanotechnology,optical micro/nanofiber(MNF)is considered as an important multifunctional building block for fabricating various miniaturized photonic devices.With the rapid progress in flexible optoelectronics,MNF has been emerging as a promising candidate for assembling tactile sensors and soft actuators owing to its unique optical and mechanical properties.This review discusses the advances in MNF enabled tactile sensors and soft actuators,specifically,focusing on the latest research results over the past 5 years and the applications in health monitoring,human-machine interfaces,and robotics.Future prospects and challenges in developing flexible MNF devices are also presented.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Cervical Tactile Ultrasound Technique as a Predictive Tool for Spontaneous Preterm Birth

Background: Premature cervical softening and shortening may be considered an early mechanical failure that predispose to preterm birth. Purpose: This study aims to explore the applicability of an innovative cervical tactile ultrasound approach for predicting spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). Materials and Methods: Eligible participants were women with low-risk singleton pregnancies in their second trimester, enrolled in this prospective observational study. A Cervix Monitor (CM) device was designed with a vaginal probe comprising four tactile sensors and a single ultrasound transducer operating at 5 MHz. The probe enabled the application of controllable pressure to the external cervical surface, facilitating the acquisition of stress-strain data from both anterior and posterior cervical sectors. Gestational age at delivery was recorded and compared against cervical elasticity. Results: CM examination data were analyzed for 127 women at 240/7 - 286/7 gestational weeks. sPTB was observed in 6.3% of the cases. The preterm group exhibited a lower average cervical stress-to-strain ratio (elasticity) of 0.70 ± 0.26 kPa/mm compared to the term group’s 1.63 ± 0.65 kPa/mm with a p-value of 1.1 × 10−4. Diagnostic accuracy for predicting spontaneous preterm birth based solely on cervical elasticity data was found to be 95.0% (95% CI, 88.5 - 100.0). Conclusion: These findings suggest that measuring cervical elasticity with the designed tactile ultrasound probe has the potential to predict spontaneous preterm birth in a cost-effective manner.

Tactile Paving Recognition Method Based on Improved YOLOv7

Tactile paving is a professional road facility to ensure the safe travel of people with visual impairment.However,there are many problems with tactile paving travel in practice.For one,some tactile paving is seriously damaged,and the other is the accumulation of obstacles.How to help visually impaired people recognize and locate obstacles in tactile paving is a problem worth studying.In this paper,image recognition technology is used to recognize the tactile paving pictures with obstacles,and an attention mechanism is used to optimize samples to improve recognition accuracy.

An Investigation of the Effects of Thermal Interference between Adjacent Nitinol Spring Actuators in a Tactile Display

Over the years, there has been increased research interest in the application of Nitinol as an actuator, due to its shape memory behaviour, simplicity, high power-to-weight ratio, compactness, and extreme high fatigue resistance to cyclic motion, and noiseless operation. Nitinol has found application in tactile displays which reproduce tactile parameters such as texture and shape, depending on the application. This paper presents the effects of thermal interference between adjacent Nitinol spring actuators in a tactile display. The tactile display is made of a 3 by 3 pin array whose spatial resolution was varied from 4 mm to 6 mm in steps of 1 mm while a current of 1.5 A was used to actuate 8 of the springs, and the centre spring was left unactivated to observe the thermal effects on it due to the heat gradient formed. A Finite Element (FE) model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics and the results were further verified through experimentation. In both cases, there was visible thermal interference between actuators. The increase in spatial resolution saw a decrease in thermal interference by 12.7%. Using a fan to introduce forced convection, reduced the thermal interference in the simulation by 20% and during experimentation by 11%. The results of this research indicate a spatial resolution of 6 mm reduced the thermal inference to a negligible rate. However, thermal interference could not be eliminated with these two methods.

Effects of Neonatal Tactile Stimulation and Maternal Separation on the Anxiety and the Emotional Memory in Adult Female Rats

We investigated the long-lasting effects of early postnatal tactile stimulation （TS） and maternal separation （MS） on the emotional behaviors of adult female rats. A split-litter design was introduced to remove confusing factors such as maternal disturbance. Pups of the non-tactile stimulation （NTS） group did not receive any handling. Pups subjected to the TS treatment were handled and marked for approximately 30 s daily from postnatal days （PND） 2 - 9 or from PND 10 - 17. Pups subjected to the MS treatment were handled and marked in the same way as the TS pups and then individually placed in a cup with familiar nest bedding for 1 h daily. At the age of 3 months, female rats with different neonatal experiences were employed in the light/dark box test and the one-trial passive avoidance response. Both PND 2 - 9 TS and PND 10 - 17 TS groups exhibited more time spent in the illuminated chamber of the light/dark box, and longer step-through latencies in the passive avoidance response when compared to the NTS group, indicating that early life TS treatment reduced novelty-induced anxious emotion and facilitated the retention of emotional memory in adult female rats. No significant effects were found on any behavioral measures between the MS groups and the TS groups, suggesting that neonatal short-time MS treatment was not intensive enough to alter the emotional behaviors, at least in female rats. Infantile age was not an effective factor for these measures. This result supports the hypothesis that neonatal tactile stimulation and maternal separation lead to different effects on the neural development of postnatal pups.

MATERIAL SURFACE THERMAL PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION USING HEAT FLUX TACTILE SENSOR

Eased on the mechanism of temperature tactile sensing of human finger,a heat flux tactile sensor com- posed of a thermostat module and a heat flux sensor is designed to identify material thermal properties. The ther- mostat module maintains the sensor temperature invariable, and the heat flux sensor（Peltier device） detects the heat flux temperature difference between the thermostat module and the object surface. Two different modes of the heat flux tactile sensor are proposed, and they are simulated and experimented for different material objects. The results indicate that the heat flux tactile sensor can effectively identify different thermal properties.

Coordinate unification method of high-precision composite measurement in two dimensions

Multi-sensor coordinate unification in dimensional metrology is used in order to get holistic, more accurate and reliable information about a workpiece based on several or multiple measurement values from one or more sensors. Because of the problem that standard ball is deficient as a standard artifact in the coordinate unification of high-precision composite measurement in two dimensions （2D） , a new method is proposed in this paper which uses angle gauge blocks as standard artifacts to achieve coordinate unification between the image sensor and the tactile probe. By comparing the standard ball with the angle gauge block as a standard artifact, theoretical analysis and experimental results are given to prove that it is more precise and more convenient to use angle gauge blocks as standard artifacts to achieve coordinate unification of high-precision composite measurement in two dimensions.

TACTILE教学模式在科技英语读写课堂上的应用及有效性研究——一项基于北京邮电大学本科三年级学生的实证研究

世界顶级大学都非常重视思辨能力的培养。而在我国大学英语教学中却普遍存在着“思辨缺席”的问题。本研究以北京邮电大学两个科技英语课堂共121名三年级本科生为被试,尝试将微信平台与TACTILE教学模式整合起来,以对学习者需求分析为基础,为不同学习者定制个性化的学习任务,从而最大限度地提高其学习动机。对学习者的问卷调查和学业测试结果显示这种教学模式得到学生们的认可,对培养学生的思辨能力、语言运用能力以及问题解决能力均取得了良好的效果。

Properties of tactile responses of neurons in rat thalamic ventroposterolateral nucleus

Objective To determine whether the convergences of tactile information also occur at thalamic ventroposterolateral nucleus in rats, we investigated the properties of tactile responses of the thalamic ventroposterolateral nucleus in rats. Methods Unit responses were recorded extracellularly from thalamic ventroposterolateral nucleus in anesthetized rats. Results Among 156 neurons examined, 140 neurons （89.7%） had the single, continual and small receptive fields, and 16 neurons （10.3%） had two discrete receptive fields. Some neurons exhibited different responses to the same intensity stimulation which delivered to different points in their receptive fields. In addition, 4.5% neurons （n -- 7） responded only to locomotive stimulation but not to a punctiform tactile stimulation. Conclusion The majority of neurons in ventroposterolateral nucleus of rats have the spatial, temporal and submodal characteristics of cutaneous receptors, while the minority of neurons exhibit the responses of interaction of different peripheral receptors. Therefore, it is con- cluded that there are convergences of tactile information at the ventroposterolateral nucleus of rats.

Flexible Tactile Electronic Skin Sensor with 3D Force Detection Based on Porous CNTs/PDMS Nanocomposites

Flexible tactile sensors have broad applications in human physiological monitoring,robotic operation and human-machine interaction.However,the research of wearable and flexible tactile sensors with high sensitivity,wide sensing range and ability to detect three-dimensional(3D)force is still very challenging.Herein,a flexible tactile electronic skin sensor based on carbon nanotubes(CNTs)/polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)nanocomposites is presented for 3D contact force detection.The 3D forces were acquired from combination of four specially designed cells in a sensing element.Contributed from the double-sided rough porous structure and specific surface morphology of nanocomposites,the piezoresistive sensor possesses high sensitivity of 12.1 kPa?1 within the range of 600 Pa and 0.68 kPa?1 in the regime exceeding 1 kPa for normal pressure,as well as 59.9 N?1 in the scope of<0.05 N and>2.3 N?1 in the region of<0.6 N for tangential force with ultra-low response time of 3.1 ms.In addition,multi-functional detection in human body monitoring was employed with single sensing cell and the sensor array was integrated into a robotic arm for objects grasping control,indicating the capacities in intelligent robot applications.

Graphene Nanostructure-Based Tactile Sensors for Electronic Skin Applications

Skin is the largest organ of the human body and can perceive and respond to complex environmental stimulations.Recently,the development of electronic skin(E-skin)for the mimicry of the human sensory system has drawn great attention due to its potential applications in wearable human health monitoring and care systems,advanced robotics,artificial intelligence,and human-machine interfaces.Tactile sense is one of the most important senses of human skin that has attracted special attention.The ability to obtain unique functions using diverse assembly processible methods has rapidly advanced the use of graphene,the most celebrated two-dimensional material,in electronic tactile sensing devices.With a special emphasis on the works achieved since 2016,this review begins with the assembly and modification of graphene materials and then critically and comprehensively summarizes the most advanced material assembly methods,device construction technologies and signal characterization approaches in pressure and strain detection based on graphene and its derivative materials.This review emphasizes on:(1)the underlying working principles of these types of sensors and the unique roles and advantages of graphene materials;(2)state-of-the-art protocols recently developed for high-performance tactile sensing,including representative examples;and(3)perspectives and current challenges for graphene-based tactile sensors in E-skin applications.A summary of these cutting-edge developments intends to provide readers with a deep understanding of the future design of high-quality tactile sensing devices and paves a path for their future commercial applications in the field of E-skin.

Evaluating effectiveness of four-parameter compound tactons for conveying urban navigation information

To guide pedestrians to navigate in a strange city and reduce the cognitive overload suffered when walking, thermal change direction, vibration stimulation direction, intensity variation and body location are employed to construct four-parameter compound tactons.They are mapped to four different types of navigation message： route attribute, intersection type, distance and heading direction. One psychological experiment was conducted. The derived confusion matrices were used to investigate recognition rates and information transfer for compound tactons,and non-parameter tests were employed to analyze the effect of each parameter on the number of correct responses.Experimental results show that the overall identification rate for four-parameter tactons is 88.72% by using different tactile parameters,and 19.64 icons can be identified reliably in all 32 tactile icons according to the information transfer value. Thermal changes can be an effective supplement to vibrotactile icons. This suggests that compound tactons will be a promising method of conveying complex information when navigating in a virtual or real urban environment.

Learning the signatures of the human grasp using a scalable tactile glove

Humans can sense, weigh and grasp different objects, deduce their physical properties at the same time, and exert appropriate forces – a challenging task for modern robots. Studying the mechanics of human grasping objects will play a supplementary role in visual-based robot object processing. These tools require large-scale tactile data sets with high spatial resolution. However, there is no large human-grasped tactile data set covering the whole hand, because dense coverage of the human hand with tactile sensors is challenging. Hence, the capability of observing and learning from successful daily humanobject interactions is the long-term goal of aiding the development of robots and prosthetics.

Artificial Tactile Sense Technique for Predicting Beef Tenderness Based on FS Pressure Sensor

We present a rapid system for predicting beef tenderness by mimicking the human tactile sense. The detection system includes a FS pressure sensor, a power supply conversion circuit, a signal amplifier and a box in which the sample is mounted. A sample of raw Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle is placed in the measuring box; then a rod connected to the pressure sensor is pressed into the beef sample to a given depth; the reaction force of the beef sample is measured and used to predict the tenderness. Sensory evaluation and Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) evaluation of samples from the same LD muscle are used for comparison. The new detection system agrees with established procedure 95% of the time, and the time to test a sample is less than 5 minutes.

Frequency-Agile WLAN Notch UWB Antenna for URLLC Applications

This paper introduces a compact dual notched UWB antenna with an independently controllable WLAN notched band integrated with fixed WiMAX band-notch.The proposed antenna utilizes a slot resonator placed in the main radiator of the antenna for fixed WiMAX band notch,while an inverted L-shaped resonator in the partial ground plane for achieving frequency agility within WLAN notched band.The inverted L-shaped resonator is also loaded with fixed and variable capacitors to control and adjust the WLAN notch.The WLAN notched band can be controlled independently with a wide range of tunability without disturbing the WiMAX bandnotch performance.Step by step design approach of the proposed antenna is discussed and the corresponding mathematical analysis of the proposed resonators are provided in both cases.Simulation of the proposed antenna is performed utilizing commercially available 3D-EM simulator,Ansoft High Frequency Structure Simulator(HFSS).The proposed antenna has high selectivity with experimental validation in terms of reflection coefficient,radiation characteristics,antenna gain,and percentage radiation efficiency.The corresponding measured frequency response of the input port corresponds quite well with the calculations and simulations in both cases.The proposed antenna is advantageous and can adjust according to the device requirements and be one of the attractive candidates for overlay cognitive radio UWB applications and URLLC service in 5G tactile internet.The proposed multifunctional antenna can also be used for wireless vital signs monitoring,sensing applications,and microwave imaging techniques.

Biomechanical Mapping of the Female Pelvic Floor: Prolapse versus Normal Conditions

Background: Quantitative biomechanical characterization of pelvic supportive structures and functions in vivo is thought to provide insight into pathophysiology of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). An innovative approach—vaginal tactile imaging—allows biomechanical mapping of the female pelvic floor to quantify tissue elasticity, pelvic support, and pelvic muscle functions. The Vaginal Tactile Imager (VTI) records high definition pressure patterns from vaginal walls under an applied tissue deformation and during pelvic floor muscle contractions. Objective: To explore an extended set of 52 biomechanical parameters for differentiation and characterization of POP relative to normal pelvic floor conditions. Methods: 96 subjects with normal and POP conditions were included in the data analysis from multi-site observational, case-controlled studies;42 subjects had normal pelvic floor conditions and 54 subjects had POP. The VTI, model 2S, was used with an analytical software package to calculate automatically 52 biomechanical parameters for 8 VTI test procedures (probe insertion, elevation, rotation, Valsalva maneuver, voluntary muscle contractions in 2 planes, relaxation, and reflex contraction). The groups were equalized for subject age and parity. Results: The ranges, mean values, and standard deviations for all 52 VTI parameters were established. 33 of 52 parameters were identified as statistically sensitive (p 0.05;t-test) to the POP development. Among these 33 parameters, 11 parameters show changes (decrease) in tissue elasticity, 8 parameters show deteriorations in pelvic support and 14 parameters show weakness in muscle functions for POP versus normal conditions. Conclusions: The biomechanical mapping of the female pelvic floor with the VTI provides a unique set of parameters characterizing POP versus normal conditions. These objectively measurable biomechanical transformations of pelvic tissues, support structures, and functions under POP may be used in future research and practical applications.