Abstract
In this paper, a force estimation method based on the Hertzian contact theory was proposed by using contact images between a fingertip and a rigid plate. When a fingertip is pressed and slightly slid on a rigid plate, a partial slip occurs on the contact surface. The deformation changes depending on the exerted force on the contact surface. In this study, the correlation between the exerted force and the deformation are investigated. The performance tests show that the proposed method has the estimation accuracy of about 10%.
