Empowering Robots for Multimodal Tactile Gripping using Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

A new technology platform is presented that utilized capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUT) for the on-chip integration of proximity and tactile sensing. This platform integrated in robotic grippers enables tactile and reactive grasping. A single channel proximity system is demonstrated to distinguish objects and reveal high spatial resolution to distances of 10 mm.