Abstract
In the field of robotics, a tactile sensor and its data processing are very important to allow robots to perform handling objects. Especially, since some robots directly support human needs, they must sense tactile feeling caused by contact between their hand and a human. In the information processing done by biological organisms, stochastic resonance (SR) can enhance sensitivity by superimposing proper noise upon undetectable weak signals to detect the target signal. In the present research, We developed a system composed of an experimental apparatus and a computer program and we have performed a series of psychophysical experiments using the different types of stimulus. Results show that the tactile sensing precision is enhanced by appropriate noise and that characteristics of normal vibration SR are quite different from those with tangential vibration.
