The disclosed method may include detecting motion of a user, estimating, for the detected motion of the user, effort expended by the user in performing the motion, determining, based on the detected motion and the estimation of expended effort, a haptic profile for conveying to the user a physical sensation of expending the effort, and simulating a sensation of expending the effort by executing the haptic profile in at least one haptic device that is worn by the user. Various other methods, systems, and/or computer-readable media are also disclosed.

A motion-sensing floor mat, an assembly of such floor mats, and a monitoring system with such floor mats are provided; wherein the floor mat can be joined with another such floor mat and electrically connected to a monitoring device to form the monitoring system; the monitoring device stores a queue list and a topology matrix and uses a topological algorithm to store the identification tag of each such floor mat detected into the queue list in order, to gradually establish the topology matrix for the floor mats detected; and to thereby obtain the relative positions of the floor mats detected. When any of the floor mats is subjected to pressure (e.g., when someone falls on the floor mat accidentally) and generates a sensing signal, the monitoring device can pinpoint the position of that floor mat (i.e., the location of the fall) rapidly according to the topology matrix.

A sensor according to the present technology includes a sensor unit and a separation layer. The sensor unit includes a first pressure sensor on a front side and a second pressure sensor on a rear side that are opposite to each other and detects, on the basis of pressure detection positions in an in-plane direction by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, a force in the in-plane direction. The separation layer has a gap portion and is interposed between the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor.

A tactile sensor including a camera positioned to capture images of marks. An elastically deformable skin including an outer surface having attributes and an undersurface having pins, ridges, or both. Each undersurface pin or ridge includes a mark. A processor detects displacement of the marks in captured images and compares the displaced positions of the marks in the captured images to stored sets of prelearned positions of marks, based on a distance function, to determine a quality of match value for each set of the prelearned positions of marks. A best quality matched prelearned pattern of forces is determined using a user selected function, to calculate a best matching set of the prelearned positions of marks. Identify a pattern of forces acting on the elastically deformable skin based on the determined best matched prelearned pattern of forces.

Provided is a tension-insensitive tactile sensor having high sensitivity and a wide sensing range by using a stretchable sensor array. According to the stretchable sensor array and the method for manufacturing the same of the present invention, pressure may be measured without interference of tension while maintaining flexibility of the sensor. In addition, the stretchable sensor array may have high initial resistance, induce a large change in contact resistance when pressure is applied, thereby being capable of measuring pressure with high sensitivity, have a wide pressure sensing range, and have decreased interference by an when sensing a pressure distribution.

A soft sensor includes an elastic sheet, which includes a first elastic layer and a second elastic layer facing each other, and a sensor unit formed by printing a predetermined conductive liquid metal between the first elastic layer and the second elastic layer. A hand-wearable device may include at least one soft sensor, wherein the hand-wearable device has a shape corresponding to at least a portion of a shape of a hand, and the soft sensor is located at a position corresponding to at least some joints of the hand.

A wearable device can include a wearable band configured to contact a user of the wearable device, an actuator, a sensor, and one or more processors in communication with the actuator and the sensor. The processors can be configured to measure a back electromotive force (“EMF”) of the actuator; determine, based on the measured back EMF, data that describes a contact force between the wearable band and the user; and determine, based on the data that describes the contact force, a quality metric describing a data quality of sensor data collected by the sensor. In some embodiments, the processor(s) can determine, generate sensor output data based on the sensor data and based at least in part on the data describing the contact force between the wearable band and the user. For example, one or more machine-learned models maybe leveraged to generate sensor output data that is compensated for the wearable band being too tight or too loose.

A gripper jaw to grip an object, the jaw having a gripping surface with a recess therein, the jaw including: a tactile sensor with a sensor surface and a sensor thickness integrated in the recess in a z-direction, wherein the sensor includes: a base arranged lowermost in the recess, a sensor array arranged on the base with a plurality of taxels being sensitive elements arranged over an area of the base, the taxels configured to detect externally applied forces along the z-direction, wherein each taxel is reversibly deformable, and an elastic layer arranged above and overlapping the array, the layer acting as a mechanical low-pass filter and, in an unloaded state, having a layer thickness, wherein an outwardly facing surface of the layer forms a partial area of the sensor surface, wherein the sensor integrated in the recess projects with the sensor surface beyond the gripping surface in the z-direction.

A flexible tactile sensor includes a conductive target positioned in a first plane, at least three coils forming an array within a second plane, the second plane spaced apart from the first plane, a pliable material coupling the conductive target to the at least three coils, and an electronic device electrically coupled to each of the at least three coils, the electronic device configured to induce an AC signal within each of the at least three coils and measure a change in inductance in the at least three coils in response to movement of the conductive target.

A sensor unit includes at least three kinesthetic-sense sensors arranged along a plane, each including a first force-receiving part configured to receive an external force. The sensor unit includes a connecting member including a second force-receiving part configured to receive an external force, configured to transfer the external force received by the second force-receiving part to each first force-receiving part and connecting the first force-receiving parts with each other. The sensor unit includes an output unit configured to output signals corresponding to a pressing force in an orthogonal-axis direction orthogonal to the plane and pressing forces in two axial directions parallel to the plane, respectively, the pressing forces being components of divided forces of the external force received by the second force-receiving part, received by the respective first force-receiving parts through the connecting member.