PFS 1.0: A development tool applied to vision-based tactile sensor process formulation and fabrication

Vision-based tactile sensors (VBTS) have gradually garnered attention for their high performance. However, there is a lack of detailed technology summaries and available tools for process formulation. To simplify the development flow, this paper proposes a process formulation system (PFS) and establishes a visualization interface based on QT. The developer inputs the design goal, and the system automatically corrects these goals and then matches the process schemes by dictionary search. Following the fabrication sequence, the system outputs a complete reference fabrication flow. Furthermore, the PFS provides more comprehensive process details than large models. In addition, the PFS universality is verified via representative VBTS cases. A multimodal visuo-tactile skin (VTS) is developed with the PFS. The fabrication process of elastomer and coating is optimized based on the reference process. The results show that the VTS prototype achieves micron-level spatial resolution, high sensitivity, and high abrasion resistance. Consequently, the PFS is expected to provide technology guidance and assistant development for beginners and developers in this area.