Dynamic Shape Reconstruction using Tactile Sensors

We present new results on reconstruction of the shape and motion of an unknown object using tactile sensors without requiring object immobilization. A robot manipulates the object with two flat palms covered with tactile sensors. We model the full dynamics and prove local observability of the shape, motion and center of mass of the object based on the motion of the contact points as measured by the tactile sensors. Keywords— tactile sensing, manipulation, shape reconstruction, observability