Tactile-Based Object Pose Estimation Employing Extended Kalman Filter

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new approach to estimate the pose of an object being manipulated by a multi-fingered robotic hand. The method utilizes advanced tactile sensors with high spatial resolution to optimize the estimation of the object's pose using an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) based approach. We defined and derived the state and measurement equations, as well as evaluated the estimation accuracy in grasping tasks. The approach is able to effectively account for the pose transition caused by tactile pushing, and the mapping from the object's pose to the contact position and normal direction as measured by the tactile sensor. The method was evaluated in multiple grasping experiments in simulation scenarios. Results show that the estimation can converge towards the ground truth in a relatively short period of time, with displacement and rotation errors remaining within acceptable levels. This new method has the potential to improve the accuracy and reliability of robotic grasping and manipulation tasks.