High Resolution Tactile Sensor for Measurement of a Complicated Tactile Feeling of "Shittori" With Moistness

In this paper, we present a high-resolution MEMS tactile sensor that can measure the "shittori feel", which is becoming increasingly important in tactile quality evaluation. The Japanese word "shittori", refers to a complicated tactile sensation that includes moistness and smoothness, describing the pleasant tactile sensation of fine leather and well-moisturized skin. Although shittori is one of the most important tactile sensations in measuring high-quality tactile feelings, the principles of its quantitative measurement are not well understood. In this study, we propose a new hypothesis regarding the adhesive frictional properties of moist materials. Moreover, we have realized the first tactile sensor that can simultaneously detect moistness and smoothness to distinguish the "shittori feel" of moist materials.