Fig. 2: Time-enabled sensing versatility.
The difference in fluidic pressure response ΔP between the soft actuator with and without environmental interaction is evaluated over time to implement sensing. a-c Inferring the initial distance h between the actuator and plate from the time of first contact tc1. h = 20 mm in (a) and (b). The dashed line in c represents the vertical displacement-time curve of the tip of actuator in the case of free actuation. d, e Shape sensing of rectangular objects by measuring both the time of first and second contact of the soft gripper. f, g Stiffness sensing by measuring both the time of first contact and the equilibrium pressure, which indicate the vertical displacement of the actuator at the first contact (hc = h) and equilibrium (he ≥ h depending on the object stiffness), respectively. h = 5 mm in (g). h, i Surface scanning and profile reconstruction of two different surface profiles.
