Systems and Methods for Time-of-Flight Touch Sensors in Robots

Abstract

Provided are systems and methods for a touch sensor system for a robot end effector using a time-of-fight (TOF) system. A robot end effector includes a digit, and a tactile sensor system coupled to the digit. The tactile sensor system includes a set of fiber optic cables carried by the digit, wherein each fiber optic cable has a respective length and a first end of each fiber optic cable is at a distal end of the digit. A TOF sensor is coupled to a second end of each fiber optic cable, wherein the TOF sensor emits light through the set of fiber optic cables and receives light reflected by an object at or proximate the distal end of the digit through the set of fiber optic cables. A distance to the at least one object is calculated from a TOF path including the length(s) of the cable(s).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.