<s>
A	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensor	I-Algorithm
is	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
measures	O
information	O
arising	O
from	O
physical	O
interaction	O
with	O
its	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
are	O
generally	O
modeled	O
after	O
the	O
biological	O
sense	O
of	O
cutaneous	B-Algorithm
touch	I-Algorithm
which	O
is	O
capable	O
of	O
detecting	O
stimuli	O
resulting	O
from	O
mechanical	O
stimulation	O
,	O
temperature	O
,	O
and	O
pain	O
(	O
although	O
pain	O
sensing	O
is	O
not	O
common	O
in	O
artificial	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
are	O
used	O
in	O
robotics	O
,	O
computer	B-Architecture
hardware	I-Architecture
and	O
security	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
common	O
application	O
of	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
is	O
in	O
touchscreen	B-Device
devices	O
on	O
mobile	O
phones	O
and	O
computing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
may	O
be	O
of	O
different	O
types	O
including	O
piezoresistive	O
,	O
piezoelectric	O
,	O
optical	O
,	O
capacitive	O
and	O
elastoresistive	O
sensors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
appear	O
in	O
everyday	O
life	O
such	O
as	O
elevator	O
buttons	O
and	O
lamps	O
which	O
dim	O
or	O
brighten	O
by	O
touching	O
the	O
base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
innumerable	O
other	O
applications	O
for	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
of	O
which	O
most	O
people	O
are	O
never	O
aware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
test	O
the	O
performance	O
of	O
all	O
types	O
of	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
imaging	I-Algorithm
,	O
as	O
a	O
medical	O
imaging	O
modality	O
,	O
translating	O
the	O
sense	O
of	O
touch	O
into	O
a	O
digital	O
image	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
imaging	I-Algorithm
closely	O
mimics	O
manual	O
palpation	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
probe	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
with	O
a	O
pressure	O
sensor	O
array	O
mounted	O
on	O
its	O
face	O
acts	O
similar	O
to	O
human	O
fingers	O
during	O
clinical	O
examination	O
,	O
deforming	O
soft	O
tissue	O
by	O
the	O
probe	O
and	O
detecting	O
resulting	O
changes	O
in	O
the	O
pressure	O
pattern	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robots	B-Algorithm
designed	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
objects	O
requiring	O
handling	O
involving	O
precision	O
,	O
dexterity	B-Device
,	O
or	O
interaction	O
with	O
unusual	O
objects	O
,	O
need	O
sensory	O
apparatus	O
which	O
is	O
functionally	O
equivalent	O
to	O
a	O
human	O
's	O
tactile	O
ability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
have	O
been	O
developed	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
robots	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
can	O
complement	O
visual	O
systems	O
by	O
providing	O
added	O
information	O
when	O
the	O
robot	B-Algorithm
begins	O
to	O
grip	O
an	O
object	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Determining	O
weight	O
,	O
texture	O
,	O
stiffness	B-Algorithm
,	O
center	O
of	O
mass	O
,	O
coefficient	O
of	O
friction	O
,	O
and	O
thermal	O
conductivity	O
require	O
object	O
interaction	O
and	O
some	O
sort	O
of	O
tactile	O
sensing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
classes	O
of	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
are	O
used	O
in	O
robots	B-Algorithm
of	O
different	O
kinds	O
,	O
for	O
tasks	O
spanning	O
collision	O
avoidance	O
and	O
manipulation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
methods	O
for	O
simultaneous	B-Application
localization	I-Application
and	I-Application
mapping	I-Application
are	O
based	O
on	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
primarily	O
used	O
as	O
analytical	O
tools	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
manufacturing	O
and	O
R&D	O
processes	O
by	O
engineers	O
and	O
technicians	O
,	O
and	O
have	O
been	O
adapted	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
robots	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
such	O
sensors	O
available	O
to	O
consumers	O
include	O
arrays	O
built	O
from	O
conductive	O
rubber	O
,	O
lead	O
zirconate	O
titanate	O
(	O
PZT	O
)	O
,	O
polyvinylidene	O
fluoride(PVDF )	O
,	O
PVDF-TrFE	O
,	O
FET	O
,	O
and	O
metallic	O
capacitive	B-Device
sensing	I-Device
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
kinds	O
of	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
have	O
been	O
developed	O
that	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
camera-like	O
technology	O
to	O
provide	O
high-resolution	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strain	B-Algorithm
gauges	I-Algorithm
rosettes	O
are	O
constructed	O
from	O
multiple	O
strain	B-Algorithm
gauges	I-Algorithm
,	O
with	O
each	O
gauge	O
detecting	O
the	O
force	O
in	O
a	O
particular	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
information	O
from	O
each	O
strain	B-Algorithm
gauge	I-Algorithm
is	O
combined	O
,	O
the	O
information	O
allows	O
determination	O
of	O
a	O
pattern	O
of	O
forces	O
or	O
torques	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Biologically	O
inspired	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
often	O
incorporate	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
sensing	O
strategy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
they	O
might	O
detect	O
both	O
the	O
distribution	O
of	O
pressures	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
pattern	O
of	O
forces	O
that	O
would	O
come	O
from	O
pressure	O
sensor	O
arrays	O
and	O
strain	B-Algorithm
gauge	I-Algorithm
rosettes	O
,	O
allowing	O
two-point	O
discrimination	O
and	O
force	O
sensing	O
,	O
with	O
human-like	O
ability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Advanced	O
versions	O
of	O
biologically	O
designed	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensors	I-Algorithm
include	O
vibration	O
sensing	O
which	O
has	O
been	O
determined	O
to	O
be	O
important	O
for	O
understanding	O
interactions	O
between	O
the	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensor	I-Algorithm
and	O
objects	O
where	O
the	O
sensor	O
slides	O
over	O
the	O
object	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recently	O
,	O
a	O
sophisticated	O
tactile	B-Algorithm
sensor	I-Algorithm
has	O
been	O
made	O
open-hardware	O
,	O
enabling	O
enthusiasts	O
and	O
hobbyists	O
to	O
experiment	O
with	O
an	O
otherwise	O
expensive	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
