Visibility-Inspired Models of Touch Sensors for Navigation

This paper introduces mathematical models of touch sensors for mobile robotics based on visibility. Serving a purpose similar to the pinhole camera model for computer vision, the introduced models are expected to provide a useful, idealized characterization of task-relevant information that can be inferred from their outputs or observations. This allows direct comparisons to be made between traditional depth sensors, highlighting cases in which touch sensing may be interchangeable with time of flight or vision sensors, and characterizing unique advantages provided by touch sensing. The models include contact detection, compression, load bearing, and deflection. The results could serve as a basic building block for innovative touch sensor designs for mobile robot sensor fusion systems.