Assistant Professor Yu She is a co-principal investigator in a collaborative research project with Michigan State University and Stony Brook University that recently earned a National Science Foundation grant. 

The three-year project is titled "Physics-empowered Vision-based Tactile Gel-Robots for Multi-physical Perception and Ultra-gentle Manipulation" and aims to develop a new class of vision-based tactile robot capable of multi-physical perception and able to "execute ultra-gentle manipulation of exceptionally soft, delicate, and responsive objects." 

"We strive to bridge the gap between robotic tactile perception and human haptic sensing by integrating our innovative technology into the fingertips of future robots." said Dr. Wei Li. 

Technical challenges currently faced by current vision-based tactile robots are difficulty perceiving soft objects and difficulty manipulating fragile objects. In order to address these challenges this project proposes the integration of fatigue-resistant photoelastic gels. 

“The key idea of this project is to integrate fatigue-resistant gel into a stress-interpreting optical system for developing a new class of tactile robots, which possess the capability to attain multi-physical perception and execute ultra-gentle manipulation" said Dr. Shaoting Lin.

Dr. Yu She adds "we will leverage the proposed tactile feedback mechanism to design intelligent control algorithms by integrating learning-based and model-based methods, enhancing the robustness and adaptability of robotic grasping and manipulation", 

The next generation of tactile robots will have an impact in a number of areas, such as surgical robots, underwater exploration and more. This project is poised to take the next big leap to the next generation of these robots. 

Related Links:

To learn more about the project, visit the NSF Award Abstract

Yu She's USDA Strawberry Harvesting NIFA Grant