TouchDrive: Electronics-Free Tactile Sensing Interface for Assistive Grasping
This work addresses the need for simpler, more accessible tactile sensing in assistive robotics, though the approach is incremental.
TouchDrive introduces an electronics-free tactile sensing interface that converts contact forces into pneumatic feedback for assistive grasping, enabling users to modulate grasp forces and handle up to 20 objects reliably.
Assistive robotic grasping plays an important role in enabling safe and adaptive manipulation of diverse objects. However, existing systems often rely on electronic sensing and multi-stage processing pipelines, increasing system complexity and reducing accessibility. To address these limitations, we present TouchDrive, a cost-effective, electronics-free tactile sensing interface for assistive grasping. TouchDrive directly converts contact forces into pneumatic feedback through valve-mediated switching, integrating sensing, signal generation, and feedback within a single passive mechanical loop. The system can be employed using a pneumatic normally closed valve, a compressed air tank, sensing element, and haptic feedback actuator without electronics. By delivering tactile cues, TouchDrive empowers users to modulate grasp forces, enabling precise and robust delicate manipulation of compliant and fragile objects. The interface has been validated across diverse robotic platforms, consistently demonstrating reliable performance and practical applicability in assistive grasping tasks, such as handling fruits and everyday items (up to 20 objects).