| The authors consider the detection
of small surface features, such as cracks, bumps, and ridges, on the surface
of an object during haptic exploration and dexterous manipulation. Surface
feature definition and detection are essential for intelligent haptic exploration
and modeling of unknown objects. First, the authors review the representation
of object surface geometry and present definitions of features based on
local surface curvature. These definitions depend on both the geometry of
the robot fingertips and the object being explored. It is also shown that
the trajectory traced by a round fingertip rolling or sliding over the object
surface has some intrinsic properties that facilitate feature detection.
Several algorithms for feature detection based on feature definitions are
described and compared, and simulated and experimental results are presented
for feature detection using a hemispherical fingertip equipped with a tactile
sensor. |
