Delicate robotic manipulation requires detecting subtle, transient collisions between grasped objects and their surroundings. To address this, we introduce TECDAR (Transient Extrinsic Contact Detection and Ranging), a framework that prioritizes a minimalist, high-speed tactile sensing approach. By trading spatial array complexity for extreme temporal precision, TECDAR enables real-time contact detection and mapping, and dynamic trajectory adjustment.

Key Contributions

Using a low-cost ($5), compact (2.5-by-3 mm), and high-bandwidth (7 kHz) IMU setup to bypass visual-tactile or force/torque sensors, dramatically reducing computational overhead (84 KB/s) while enabling rapid response.

Accurately localize point and line contacts between grasped objects and external environments in 3D space, reaching millimeter-level accuracy (3.4 to 12.0 mm) within 180 ms of contact onset. The accelerometer detects the exact impact event, while a differential kinematic model converts torsional transients measured by gyroscope into spatial coordinates.

Enable real-time, closed-loop manipulation of constrained mechanisms with unknown rotation axes, operating without any prior kinematic or geometric knowledge.

Leverage a Bayesian framework to build probabilistic geometric maps purely through physical exploration, enabling vision-free navigation in visually occluded or unstructured environments.