Thomas Daunizeau, a recent graduate, completed his doctoral thesis entitled “Fine Tactile Interactions: Bio-tribology, Soft Robotics, and Metamaterials” at ISIR, Sorbonne University. Supervised by Professors Vincent Hayward and Sinan Haliyo, his work has opened new avenues for understanding and applying the sense of touch.
Investigating the properties of matter that shape tactile interactions
“Cutaneous cues allow us to discriminate glass from acrylic, and even identify wood grain. The sense of touch is, in essence, a perceptual microscope that magnifies fine tactile interactions to inform us on the properties of matter”. In his thesis, Thomas Daunizeau investigates through a three-pronged approach how properties of matter, from density to elasticity, shape tactile interactions.
The first approach, combining bio-tribology and psychophysics, reveals our ability to discriminate sub-micrometer asperities. This feat, attributed to the viscoelasticity of skin cells, establishes the basis of a pre-neuronal mechanical coding of textures.
The second approach combines soft and bio-inspired robotics to create artificial skin. Made of layered smart polymers with controllable adhesion, it exhibits unprecedented grasping capabilities.
The third, central approach, aims to enhance tactile stimuli by manipulating elastic waves. Based on the universality of the laws of physics, metamaterials, structures with unique properties, are introduced to haptics. Implemented through a range of prototypes, they guide, reflect or focus vibrations, in line with analytical and numerical predictions.
Impact and practical applications
Practical applications in robotics and translational research are being considered, particularly to enhance prosthetics with a faithful sense of touch using tactile sensors and artificial skins.
These efforts also expand the horizons of research on metamaterials by exploring how matter can be structured at various scales to encode tactile information. They prove highly effective in creating high-fidelity haptic interfaces capable of rendering fine and localized sensations, crucial for the visually impaired. This approach has been showcased at the Cité des Sciences, patented, and is now part of a technology pre-maturation program.
EuroHaptics Society PhD Award
In recognition of his contributions, Thomas Daunizeau was awarded the “EuroHaptics Society PhD Award” for the best doctoral thesis in the field of haptics and tactile technologies. This prize, presented at the EuroHaptics Conference 2024, was chosen from candidates worldwide based on its scientific quality and expected impact on the field.
Dr. Thomas Daunizeau is now a postdoctoral fellow at EPFL, pursuing research at the intersection of tactile sensing, electroadhesion, and soft robotics.
Scientific contact: Thomas Daunizeau, Post-doctoral fellow at EPFL; daunizeau(at)isir.upmc.fr
To find out more about his work: https://theses.fr/s267594
Published on 22/07/2024.
