Sestosenso is a EUR 4 million Horizon Europe project, in which scientists from the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia (ISSP UL) have partnered with international researchers to help robots see and feel the surrounding environment without using, for example, the well-known video system.
It is envisaged that in the future the robot would have a printable sensor system or skin according to the geometry and dimensions of the robot. The integration of such a sensorised skin with a robot would allow it to acquire the ability to see and feel what is happening around it, thus guaranteeing safe and effective cooperation between the robot and the human to perform different tasks.
The goal of the Sestosenso project is to create a sensor system that would enable a robot to see objects and people in the entire space around it and feel contact with them. It could be deployed on a robot of any shape, and the robot would be able to understand its position in a changing environment relative to humans and objects, and also understand the intent of physical contact, e.g. whether a human has taken the robot’s hand to steer it or program an action, or the contact has happened by accident. In this way, with the help of sensors, the robot would gain the ability to see its surroundings and feel contact.
The origins of the idea to create an innovative tactile sensor can be traced back to the ISSP UL’s Deep Science Hackathon in 2019, which I. Aulika and her team won with the idea for robotic skin printing using additive 3D printing technology. The financing of the project is 4.16 million euros. It is distinguished by the fact that it has 100% funding from the European Commission. 14 partners from several countries Italy, Spain, France, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Greece, the United Kingdom, Latvia and Switzerland are involved. The head of the project is Professor Giorgio Cannata of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering of the University of Genoa. The funding allocated by ISSP UL in this project is 405.3 thousand euros, and the project manager from ISSP UL is I. Aulika.
