Abstract
This paper proposes a method for evaluating a softness tactile display using a photoelastic tactile sensor. The developed tactile sensor can measure contact pressure distributions(CPDs) on both real samples and a softness tactile display, thus enabling calibration of display parameters through comparison among measured CPDs. The tactile sensor is made of transparent resin that is covered with a thin sheet with projections aligned at a regular interval of 2 mm. A digital camera, together with polarizers, measures photoelastic light intensity through the transparent resin. The acquired images are processed by offline image processing program to obtain CPDs. This work applies the sensor system to calibrate a softness tactile display with two control parameters. The sensor measures CPDs on the display by varying two parameters, and then the best parameter set that matches the real sample was explored by the least square method.
