Assistive robotic grasping plays an important role in enabling safe and adaptive manipulation of diverse objects. However, existing systems often rely on electronic sensing and multi-stage processing pipelines, increasing system complexity and reducing accessibility. To address these limitations, we present TouchDrive, a cost-effective, electronics-free tactile sensing interface for assistive grasping. TouchDrive directly converts contact forces into pneumatic feedback through valve-mediated switching, integrating sensing, signal generation, and feedback within a single passive mechanical loop. The system can be employed using a pneumatic normally closed valve, a compressed air tank, sensing element, and haptic feedback actuator without electronics. By delivering tactile cues, TouchDrive empowers users to modulate grasp forces, enabling precise and robust delicate manipulation of compliant and fragile objects. The interface has been validated across diverse robotic platforms, consistently demonstrating reliable performance and practical applicability in assistive grasping tasks, such as handling fruits and everyday items (up to 20 objects).
@article{arxiv.2605.06432,
title = {TouchDrive: Electronics-Free Tactile Sensing Interface for Assistive Grasping},
author = {Jing Xu and Xuezhi Niu and Didem Gurdur Broo and Klas Hjort},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.06432},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Accepted at ICRA 2026 workshop on Visuo-Tactile Perception, Learning, Control for Manipulation: Embodied Tactile Intelligence in Predictive Perception, Learning & Control in Grasping & Manipulation, Emerging the Role of Embodiment and Visuo -Tactile - LLM Foundation Models (ICRA RoboTac 2026)