Systems and methods for tactile intelligence

Abstract

One embodiment is directed to a system for geometric surface characterization comprising: a deformable transmissive layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane; a first illumination source operably coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation; a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; a computing system configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer and determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface membrane based, at least in part, on the interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer; and a secondary sensor configured to use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of a surface of an object as interfaced against the interface membrane.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 482,301, filed January 30, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for detecting, characterizing, and / or quantifying aspects of contact or touch interfaces between specialized surfaces and other objects, and more specifically to integration that may feature one or more deformable, permeable layers configured to assist in various aspects of tactile intelligence. [Background technology]

[0003] Computing, video communication, and various forms of remote presence have become important components of modern life with the proliferation of systems such as laptop computers, smartphones, and video teleconferencing. Referring to FIG. 1, a user (4) is shown in a typical work or home environment, simultaneously interacting with both a laptop computer (2) and a smartphone (6). Referring to FIG. 2A, a so-called "smartwatch" (8) is shown detachably coupled to the user's (4) wrist. FIG. 2B illustrates a smartphone (6) being held by the user (4), one of whose hands (12) is utilizing gesture information to provide commands to the smartphone's (6) computing system. While these illustrative systems (2, 6, 8) may be configured to process, for example, voice-based or gesture-based commands, much of the operation of such devices still occurs through a physical interface, such as a keyboard or touchscreen, and much of the information exchanged during the audio of a video-based call is in auditory and / or video form. Referring to Figures 3A-3E, many attempts have been made to utilize modern systems to improve the richness of interpersonal communication and / or so-called "remote presence." Figure 3A illustrates a laptop (2)-based videoconferencing configuration in which a user (4) can observe certain aspects of and communicate with a group of other participants through a matrix-style video user interface (14) viewed through a laptop display (16). Figure 3B illustrates a conference room-based videoconferencing system in which a group of local participants around a local conference table (20) can interact with remote participants through a videoconferencing user interface (18) and a relatively large display configured to show video of the remote participants.Referring to FIG. 3C, another system allows a group of local participants (34) seated around a local conference table in a local meeting room (22) to interact via video teleconferencing with a group of remote participants displayed via multiple integrated display / camera systems organized around the local conference table, helping to create or simulate the perception that all participants are co-located, or at least able to communicate in a manner that is somewhat similar to how they are all locally present. Referring to FIGs. 3D and 3E, video systems can be utilized to help engage remote users in local discussions about scenarios, such as healthcare. FIG. 3D illustrates a configuration in which a single user (4) from a first location operates a multi-display (36, 38, 40) configuration, such as via one or more user input devices (44), and can view video of a second operating location along with information and / or data about the scenario, while a camera (42) captures video data of the participants (4) at the first location and provides a video feed to the second operating location for enhanced communication (i.e., beyond mere audio). Figure 3E illustrates a configuration in which a group of local healthcare providers (46, 48) along with a patient (50) utilize a cart (52)-based configuration featuring a display (54) for producing a video portrait (58) of the remote participant, while video of the local environment is captured for the remote participant using a video camera (56) coupled to the cart (52). Figure 4 features a somewhat similar video communication system for healthcare, in which a remote user (58), such as a physician, can navigate a local healthcare facility room (68) containing a patient (50) and a hospital bed (60) using an electromechanically mobile system (62) to which a camera (64) and display (66) are coupled, enabling the remote user (58) to have a form of "remote presence" or "local presence" within the room (68).

[0004] While each of the aforementioned configurations has a level of utility beyond traditional voice calls, it could also be argued that they still lack some of the key aspects of true local presence. As connectivity, computing, video, audio, and telecommunications technologies continue to improve, such systems will undoubtedly continue to evolve closer to live local video presence. However, one important aspect of local presence not addressed by such systems is the sense of local “touch” regarding remote participants, which may be relevant given the continued high demand for air travel in certain business, social, and other scenarios. The prevalence of touch and tactile intelligence in modern human daily existence is crucial, and it is no coincidence that some people, such as those who may be visually impaired, can navigate the world quite adeptly while relying heavily on touch and tactile intelligence. As we evolve to develop a basic interpretation of the shape of objects using the two viewing heights of our eyes, we can also use touch and tactile intelligence to understand important aspects of the objects we physically encounter.

[0005] Considering a relatively simple example, a remote inspection scenario may be considered: In a given user scenario, where it is important to closely inspect a particular object or surface for surface aberrations, potential stress concentrations, and / or deformations, such as in the scenario of multiple rivets 72 holding an airplane wing surface 70 in place as shown in FIG. 5A, one solution is to inspect such surface 70 in person 74, such as with the use of an inspection light 76 configured to travel to the location of each such airplane wing surface and vectorially illuminate light across the surface 70 at an angle selected to reveal surface anomalies. Similarly, with reference to FIG. 6A , when it is important to ensure a certain texture of the exterior paint finish or a certain fit between the smartphone 6's camera assembly 78 and the housing 80—“not too tight, not too loose”—with respect to a smartphone 6 housing 80 design before committing to mass production, situations often arise in which personnel will fly around the world to conduct on-site visits and touch inspections of such parts. FIG. 6B illustrates another example in which touch sensations can be crucial in determining whether the crown 86, bezel 88, and / or button 84 materials, fit, and finish for a wristwatch 82 design are suitable for manufacturing. Finally, with reference to FIG. 6C , when a design for a detachable band 90 for a smartwatch 8 is configured to slidably couple to and uncouple from the wristwatch 8 by firm, but not excessive, engagement of these parts with a user's hands 94, 95, touch sensations can be very useful for conducting inspections. There is a need for technology to help users have a sense of touch to extend their traditional physical reach to remote locations and the like.Described herein are systems, methods, and configurations for enhancing and expanding touch characterization in various scenarios and utilizing such characterization for various purposes, including, but not limited to, high-precision touch sensor implementations and configurations that can be utilized and configured to help provide local users with the perception of touch regarding objects outside their traditional reach, such as objects in remote environments. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One embodiment is a system for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a deformable transmissive layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, the interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object having a surface to be characterized; a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; and and a computing system configured to operate the deformable transmissive layer to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface membrane based, at least in part, on an interaction between the first illumination light and the deformable transmissive layer, and use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of a surface of an object as interfaced against the interface membrane; and a secondary sensor operably coupled to the computing system and configured to provide input that can be used by the computing system to further geometrically characterize the surface of the interfaced object. The secondary sensor may be coupled to the deformable transmissive layer. The system may further include a secondary sensor mounting structure coupled to the deformable transmissive layer, the secondary sensor being coupled to the secondary sensor mounting structure. The secondary sensor and the deformable transmissive layer may reside in an operating environment comprising one or more wall structures, the secondary sensor being coupled to one of the one or more wall structures. The secondary sensor may be selected from the group consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a LIDAR device, a strain sensor, a load sensor, a temperature sensor, an image capture device, and a measurement probe. The first illumination source may comprise a light emitting diode. The detector may be a photodetector. The detector may be an image capture device. The image capture device may be a CCD or CMOS device.The system may further include a lens operably coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer. The computing system may be operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive from the detector information regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer detected by the detector. The computing system may be operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emission from the first illumination source. The deformable transmissive layer may comprise an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material may be selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The deformable transmissive layer may comprise a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material being configured to provide an illumination reflectivity that exceeds that of the elastomeric matrix. The pigment material may comprise a metal oxide. The interface membrane may comprise an elastomeric material. The surface of the interfaced object may be located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system may be configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced with the interface membrane using the position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system. The computer system may be configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of a surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations for the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in a global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping for the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to stitch together geometrically adjacent geometric profiles using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.

[0007] Another embodiment is a system for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a deformable transmissive layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, the interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object; a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; and operating the detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer and to characterize the interface membrane based, at least in part, on the interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer. and utilizing the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of a surface of an object as interfaced against the interface membrane; and a robotic manipulator operatively coupled to the computing system and the deformable permeable layer, the robotic arm configured to controllably position and orient the deformable permeable layer relative to the interfaced object such that the computing system can characterize the geometric profile of the surface of the interfaced object as interfaced against the interface membrane with respect to the respective relative positions and orientations of the deformable permeable layer and the interfaced object. The robotic manipulator may comprise a robotic arm. The robotic arm may comprise multiple joints coupled by substantially rigid linkage members. The robotic manipulator may comprise a flexible robotic instrument. The system may further comprise an end effector coupled to the robotic manipulator. The end effector may comprise a grasper. The first illumination source may comprise a light emitting diode. The detector may be a photodetector. The detector may be an image capture device.The image capture device may be a CCD or CMOS device. The system may further include a lens operably coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer. The computing system may be operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive information from the detector regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer detected by the detector. The computing system may be operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emission from the first illumination source. The deformable transmissive layer may comprise an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material may be selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The deformable transmissive layer may comprise a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide an illumination reflectivity greater than that of the elastomeric matrix. The pigment material may comprise a metal oxide. The interface membrane may comprise an elastomeric material. The surface of the interfaced object may be located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system may be configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using the position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system. The computer system may be configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations for the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to stitch together geometrically adjacent geometric profiles using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.The computing system may be configured to operate the robotic arm to which it is operably coupled and automatically assemble two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the object's surface based, at least in part, on the overall exterior geometry of the object. The two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the object's surface may be automatically created based on immediately adjacent portions of the object. The computing system may be configured to operate the robotic arm to which it is operably coupled and automatically assemble two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the object's surface sequentially based, at least in part, on a pre-determined analysis path selected by a user.

[0008] Another embodiment is a handheld system for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a deformable transmissive layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, the interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object having a surface to be characterized; a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; and an illumination source configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer. and a computing system configured to detect a first illumination light, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface membrane based at least in part on an interaction between the first illumination light and the deformable transmissive layer, and utilize the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of a surface of an interfaced object as interfaced to the interface membrane, wherein the deformable transmissive layer and the computing system are coupled within a handheld system housing comprising a mounting structure and a power supply, the handheld system housing configured to facilitate manual actions by a user such that the user may manually position and orient the deformable transmissive layer and engage the interface membrane with the interfaced object. The system may further include a positioning sensor operably coupled to the handheld system housing and the computing system. The positioning sensor may be configured to be utilized by the computing system to determine a position of at least a portion of the handheld system housing within a global coordinate system. The computing system and the positioning sensor may further be configured such that an orientation of at least a portion of the handheld system housing within the global coordinate system can be determined. The computing system and the positioning sensor may further be configured such that a position and orientation of the deformable transmissive layer within the global coordinate system can be determined.The first illumination source may comprise a light emitting diode. The detector may be a photodetector. The detector may be an image capture device. The image capture device may be a CCD or CMOS device. The system may further comprise a lens operably coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer. The computing system may be operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive information from the detector regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer detected by the detector. The computing system may be operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emission from the first illumination source. The deformable transmissive layer may comprise an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material may be selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The deformable transmissive layer may comprise a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide an illumination reflectivity greater than that of the elastomeric matrix. The pigment material may comprise a metal oxide. The interface membrane may comprise an elastomeric material. The surface of the interfaced object may be located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system may be configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using the position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system. The computer system may be configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations for the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to stitch together geometrically adjacent geometric profiles using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.The system may further include a secondary sensor operably coupled to the computing system and configured to provide input that can be utilized by the computing system to further geometrically characterize the surface of the interfaced object. The secondary sensor may be selected from the group consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a LIDAR device, a strain sensor, a load sensor, a temperature sensor, an image capture device, and a measurement probe. The secondary sensor may include an IMU configured to output rotational and linear acceleration data to the computing system, and the computing system may be configured to utilize the rotational and linear acceleration data to assist in characterizing the position or orientation of the deformable permeable layer within a global coordinate system. The secondary sensor may include an image capture device configured to capture image information regarding the surface of the interfaced object, and the computing system may be configured to utilize the image information to assist in determining the location or orientation of the object relative to the deformable permeable layer. The system may further include one or more tracking tags coupled to the interfaced object and one or more detectors operably coupled to the computing system such that the computing system may be utilized to identify and provide location information regarding the interfaced object based, at least in part, on predetermined locations of the one or more tracking tags relative to the interfaced object. The one or more tracking tags may comprise radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and the one or more detectors may comprise RFID detectors.

[0009] Another embodiment is a method for geometric surface characterization comprising the steps of providing a deformable transmissive layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, the interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object having a surface to be characterized; providing a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; and providing a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer. providing a computing system configured to operate a detector and a detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface membrane based at least in part on an interaction between the first illumination light and the deformable transmissive layer, and utilize the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of a surface of an object as interfaced against the interface membrane; and providing a secondary sensor operably coupled to the computing system and configured to provide input that can be utilized by the computing system to further geometrically characterize the surface of the interfaced object. The secondary sensor may be coupled to the deformable transmissive layer. The method may further include providing a secondary sensor mounting structure coupled to the deformable transmissive layer, the secondary sensor being coupled to the secondary sensor mounting structure. The secondary sensor and the deformable transmissive layer may reside in an operating environment comprising one or more wall structures, the secondary sensor being coupled to one of the one or more wall structures. The secondary sensor may be selected from the group consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a LIDAR device, a strain sensor, a load sensor, a temperature sensor, an image capture device, and a measurement probe. The first illumination source may comprise a light emitting diode. The detector may be a photodetector. The detector may be an image capture device.The image capture device may be a CCD or CMOS device. The method may further include providing a lens operably coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer. The computing system may be operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive information from the detector regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer detected by the detector. The computing system may be operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emission from the first illumination source. The deformable transmissive layer may comprise an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material may be selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The deformable transmissive layer may comprise a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide an illumination reflectivity greater than that of the elastomeric matrix. The pigment material may comprise a metal oxide. The interface membrane may comprise an elastomeric material. The surface of the interfaced object may be located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system may be configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using the position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system. The computer system may be configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations for the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to stitch together geometrically adjacent geometric profiles using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.

[0010] Another embodiment is a method for geometric surface characterization, comprising the steps of: providing a deformable transmissive layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, the interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object; providing a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; providing a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; operating the detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer and determining an interface characteristic based, at least in part, on the interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer. The present invention is directed to a method including: providing a computing system configured to determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the face membrane and to utilize the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of a surface of an object as interfaced against the interface membrane; and providing a robotic manipulator operatively coupled to the computing system and the deformable permeable layer, the robotic arm configured to controllably position and orient the deformable permeable layer with respect to the interfaced object such that the computing system can characterize the geometric profile of the surface of the interfaced object as interfaced against the interface membrane with respect to the relative positions and orientations of the deformable permeable layer and the interfaced object, respectively. The robotic manipulator may comprise a robotic arm. The robotic arm may comprise multiple joints connected by substantially rigid linkage members. The robotic manipulator may comprise a flexible robotic instrument. The method may further include providing an end effector coupled to the robotic manipulator. The end effector may comprise a grasper. The first illumination source may comprise a light-emitting diode. The detector may be a photodetector.The detector may be an image capture device. The image capture device may be a CCD or CMOS device. The method may further include providing a lens operably coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer. The computing system may be operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive information from the detector regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer detected by the detector. The computing system may be operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emission from the first illumination source. The deformable transmissive layer may comprise an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material may be selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The deformable transmissive layer may comprise a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide an illumination reflectivity greater than that of the elastomeric matrix. The pigment material may comprise a metal oxide. The interface membrane may comprise an elastomeric material. The surface of the interfaced object may be located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system may be configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using the position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system. The computer system may be configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations for the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to stitch together geometrically adjacent geometric profiles using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.The computing system may be configured to operate the robotic arm to which it is operably coupled and automatically assemble two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the object's surface based, at least in part, on the overall exterior geometry of the object. The two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the object's surface may be automatically created based on immediately adjacent portions of the object. The computing system may be configured to operate the robotic arm to which it is operably coupled and automatically assemble two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the object's surface sequentially based, at least in part, on a pre-determined analysis path selected by a user.

[0011] Another embodiment is a handheld method for geometric surface characterization, comprising the steps of: providing a deformable transmissive layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, the interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object having a surface to be characterized; providing a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; providing a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; and operating the detector to detect light directed from the deformable transmissive layer. and providing a computing system configured to detect at least a portion of the light, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface membrane based at least in part on an interaction between the first illumination light and the deformable transmissive layer, and utilize the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of a surface of an interfaced object as interfaced to the interface membrane, wherein the deformable transmissive layer and the computing system are coupled within a handheld system housing comprising a mounting structure and a power supply, the handheld system housing configured to facilitate manual actions by a user such that the user may manually position and orient the deformable transmissive layer and engage the interface membrane with the interfaced object. The method may further include providing a positioning sensor operably coupled to the handheld system housing and the computing system. The positioning sensor may be configured to be utilized by the computing system to determine a position of at least a portion of the handheld system housing within a global coordinate system. The computing system and the positioning sensor may further be configured such that an orientation of at least a portion of the handheld system housing within the global coordinate system can be determined.The computing system and the localization sensor may be further configured to enable a position and orientation of the deformable transmissive layer within a global coordinate system to be determined. The first illumination source may comprise a light-emitting diode. The detector may be a photodetector. The detector may be an image capture device. The image capture device may be a CCD or CMOS device. The method may further include providing a lens operably coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer. The computing system may be operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive information from the detector regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer detected by the detector. The computing system may be operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emission from the first illumination source. The deformable transmissive layer may comprise an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material may be selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The deformable transmissive layer may comprise a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide an illumination reflectivity greater than that of the elastomeric matrix. The pigment material may comprise a metal oxide. The interface film may comprise an elastomeric material. The surface of the interfaced object may be located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system may be configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface film using the position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system. The computer system may be configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface film and determine positions and orientations for the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system. The computing system may be configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system.The computing system may be configured to stitch geometrically adjacent geometric profiles together using the interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations. The method may further include providing a secondary sensor operably coupled to the computing system and configured to provide input that can be utilized by the computing system to further geometrically characterize the surface of the interfaced object. The secondary sensor may be selected from the group consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a LIDAR device, a strain sensor, a load sensor, a temperature sensor, an image capture device, and a measurement probe. The secondary sensor may include an IMU configured to output rotational and linear acceleration data to the computing system, and the computing system may be configured to utilize the rotational and linear acceleration data to assist in characterizing the position or orientation of the deformable permeable layer within a global coordinate system. The secondary sensor may include an image capture device configured to capture image information regarding the surface of the interfaced object, and the computing system may be configured to utilize the image information to assist in determining the location or orientation of the object relative to the deformable permeable layer. The method may further include providing one or more tracking tags coupled to the interfaced object and one or more detectors operably coupled to the computing system such that the computing system may be utilized to identify and provide location information regarding the interfaced object based, at least in part, on a predetermined location of the one or more tracking tags relative to the interfaced object. The one or more tracking tags may comprise radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and the one or more detectors may comprise RFID detectors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems. [Figure 2A] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems. [Figure 2B] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems. [Figure 3A] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems. [Figure 3B] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems. [Figure 3C] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems. [Figure 3D] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems. [Figure 3E] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems. [Figure 4] 1-4 illustrate various aspects of conventional computing and communication systems.

[0013] [Figure 5A] 5A-6C illustrate various aspects of scenarios where an improved understanding of surface geometry or profile would be useful. [Figure 5B] 5A-6C illustrate various aspects of scenarios where an improved understanding of surface geometry or profile would be useful. [Figure 6A] 5A-6C illustrate various aspects of scenarios where an improved understanding of surface geometry or profile would be useful. [Figure 6B] 5A-6C illustrate various aspects of scenarios where an improved understanding of surface geometry or profile would be useful. [Figure 6C] 5A-6C illustrate various aspects of scenarios where an improved understanding of surface geometry or profile would be useful.

[0014] [Figure 7A] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer. [Figure 7B] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer. [Figure 7C] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer. [Figure 7D] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer. [Figure 7E] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer. [Figure 7F] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer. [Figure 7G] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer. [Figure 7H] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer. [Figure 8] 7A-7H and 8 illustrate various aspects of a touch sensing assembly configured to utilize a deformable permeable layer.

[0015] [Figure 9A] 9A and 9B illustrate the assembly of multiple touch sensing assemblies such as those illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7H. [Figure 9B] 9A and 9B illustrate the assembly of multiple touch sensing assemblies such as those illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7H.

[0016] [Figure 10A] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein. [Figure 10B] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein. [Figure 10C] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein. [Figure 10D] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein. [Figure 10E] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein. [Figure 10F] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein. [Figure 10G] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein. [Figure 10H] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein. [Figure 10I] 10A-10I illustrate various aspects of touch sensing assembly embodiments that may feature one or more secondary sensor configurations integrated therein.

[0017] [Figure 11] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 12] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 13A] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 13B] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 13C] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 13D] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 13E] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 13F] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 14] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces. [Figure 15] 11-15 illustrate aspects of touch sensing assembly integration in which electromechanical systems, such as robots, can be utilized to gain additional tactile intelligence regarding targeted objects or surfaces.

[0018] [Figure 16A] 16A-16B and 17 illustrate aspects of configurations in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to characterize, at least in part, a portion of a user's appendage, such as a portion of a leg or arm. [Figure 16B] 16A-16B and 17 illustrate aspects of configurations in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to characterize, at least in part, a portion of a user's appendage, such as a portion of a leg or arm. [Figure 17] 16A-16B and 17 illustrate aspects of configurations in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to characterize, at least in part, a portion of a user's appendage, such as a portion of a leg or arm.

[0019] [Figure 18A] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18B] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18C] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18D]18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18E] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18F] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18G] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18H] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18I]18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18J] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18K] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument. [Figure 18L] 18A-18L illustrate aspects of configurations for integrating one or more touch sensing assemblies into an advanced system, which may involve electromechanical movement controlled via a robot or the like, and placement of deformable permeable layers in various locations, such as along the length of the various assemblies, as well as around the outer surface shape profiles of the various assemblies, circumferentially relative to the elongate instrument.

[0020] [Figure 19A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 19B]19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 20A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 20B] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 20C] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 21A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 21B] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 21C]19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 21D] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 22] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 23A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 23B] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 24A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 24B]19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 25A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 25B] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 26] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 27] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 28A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 28B]19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 29A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 29B] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 29C] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 29D] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 30A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 30B]19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 30C] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 30D] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 30E] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 30F] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 30G] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 31A]19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 31B] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 31C] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 31D] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 31E] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 32A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 32B]19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 33A] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 33B] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 34] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement. [Figure 35] 19A-35 illustrate aspects of system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement.

[0021] [Figure 36] 36, 39, 40, 42, and 46-47 illustrate aspects of medical system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement at a tissue intervention site back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement of the tissue. [Figure 37]37 and 41 illustrate aspects of gaming or virtual engagement systems and methods integration in which one or more simulated touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement in a user interface workstation. [Figure 38A] 38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 38B] 38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 38C] 38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 38D] 38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 38E] 38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 38F] 38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 39]36, 39, 40, 42, and 46-47 illustrate aspects of medical system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement at a tissue intervention site back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement of the tissue. [Figure 40] 36, 39, 40, 42, and 46-47 illustrate aspects of medical system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement at a tissue intervention site back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement of the tissue.

[0022] [Figure 41] 37 and 41 illustrate aspects of gaming or virtual engagement systems and methods integration in which one or more simulated touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement in a user interface workstation. [Figure 42] 36, 39, 40, 42, and 46-47 illustrate aspects of medical system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement at a tissue intervention site back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement of the tissue.

[0023] [Figure 43] 38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 44] 38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 45]38A-38F and 43-45 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing assemblies may be utilized to help characterize one or more critical work members of an assembly or machine. [Figure 46] 36, 39, 40, 42, and 46-47 illustrate aspects of medical system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement at a tissue intervention site back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement of the tissue. [Figure 47] 36, 39, 40, 42, and 46-47 illustrate aspects of medical system and method integration in which one or more touch sensing assemblies may be utilized to assist in translating physical engagement at a tissue intervention site back to a user at a workstation, which may be local or remote to the physical engagement of the tissue.

[0024] [Figure 48] 48-50 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing and / or touch translation interfaces may be utilized to assist in enhancing the local user sensory experience as well as commands issued by the user. [Figure 49] 48-50 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing and / or touch translation interfaces may be utilized to assist in enhancing the local user sensory experience as well as commands issued by the user. [Figure 50] 48-50 illustrate aspects of integration in which one or more sensing and / or touch translation interfaces may be utilized to assist in enhancing the local user sensory experience as well as commands issued by the user.

[0025] [Figure 51A]51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces. [Figure 51B] 51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces. [Figure 51C] 51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces. [Figure 51D] 51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces. [Figure 51E] 51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces. [Figure 51F] 51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces. [Figure 51G] 51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces. [Figure 51H] 51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces. [Figure 51I] 51A-51I, for example, illustrate various geometric configurations for tactile sensing that can be used to address various geometries of targeted surfaces.

[0026] [Figure 52]52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces. [Figure 53] 52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces. [Figure 54] 52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces. [Figure 55] 52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces. [Figure 56]52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces. [Figure 57] 52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces. [Figure 58] 52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces. [Figure 59A] 52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces. [Figure 59B]52-58 and 59A-59B illustrate various aspects of tactile sensing system configurations featuring one or more computing devices or systems operably coupled with one or more deformable permeable layers that can be utilized to provide geometric information about targeted structures, such as riveted surface structures, engine blocks, or other structures and / or surfaces.

[0027] [Figure 60A] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 60B] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 60C] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 60D] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 60E] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 60E] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 61A] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 61B] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 61C] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 61D] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 61E] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure. [Figure 61F] 60A-61F illustrate various aspects of a tactile sensing system configuration that can be detachably coupled to a physical support structure to form a handheld configuration that can be utilized to provide geometric information about a targeted structure.

[0028] [Figure 62] 62-65 illustrate various process or method configurations featuring a deformable permeable layer employed for geometric characterization of one or more objects. [Figure 63] 62-65 illustrate various process or method configurations featuring a deformable permeable layer employed for geometric characterization of one or more objects. [Figure 64] 62-65 illustrate various process or method configurations featuring a deformable permeable layer employed for geometric characterization of one or more objects. [Figure 65] 62-65 illustrate various process or method configurations featuring a deformable permeable layer employed for geometric characterization of one or more objects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Detailed Description 7A , a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is shown featuring a deformable transmissive layer (110) operably coupled to an optical element (108), which is illuminated by one or more interconnected light sources (116, 122) and positioned within the field of view of an imaging device (106). A housing (118) is configured to maintain the orientation of the components relative to one another and to expose a touch-sensitive contact surface (120). The interface membrane (100), which may comprise a substantially thin, fixedly attached or removably coupled layer comprising a relatively low bulk modulus polymeric material, may be positioned on, operatively coupled to, or form part of, a deformable permeable layer for direct contact between another object and the digital touch sensing assembly (146), e.g., for touch determination and characterization; thus, in configurations in which the interface membrane (100) is coupled to or forms part of a deformable permeable layer, the final outer touch contact surface (120) will be the outer side of such an interface membrane (100). Generally, aspects of suitable digital touch sensing assembly (146) configurations featuring elastomeric deformable permeable layer materials are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 10,965,854, 9,127,938, and 8,411,140, ​​each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.As shown in FIG. 7A , the depicted digital touch sensing assembly (146) may feature gaps or voids (114), which may contain an optically transparent material (such as one having a refractive index similar to that of the optical elements 108), air, or a specialty gas such as an inert gas, geometrically configured to position the sides of the optical elements (108) and / or deformable transparent layer (110) within a desired proximity of the imaging device (106), which may comprise an imaging sensor such as a digital camera chip, a single light-sensing element (such as a photodiode), or an array of light-sensing elements, which may be configured to have a field of view and depth of field facilitated by the geometric gaps or voids (114) (i.e., the gaps or voids 114 may be positioned to accommodate the field of view and / or depth of view for the particular imaging device 106). In various embodiments, the optical element (108) may comprise a substantially rigid material, a material of known elastic modulus, or a material of known structural modulus (i.e., given an unloaded shape and a loaded shape, a load profile can be determined with given structural modulus information for the shape). Various suitable optical elements (108) may define an exterior shape, including, for example, a cylinder, a cube, and / or a rectangular prism. As shown and described below, various illumination sources may be coupled to one or more sidewall surfaces, which define the optical element (108). In another embodiment, the optical element (108) may be configured to be deformable or conformable such that the impact of such structural rigidity on other associated elements is minimized (i.e., impulse loads such as force / delta-time can be minimized with greater impact compliance, and further, with a lower structural modulus at the contact interface, greater surface contact can be maintained over a given surface, such as one with relief or geometric features).

[0030] Also shown in Figure 7A is a computing device or system (104), which may comprise a computer, microcontroller, field programmable gate array, application specific integrated circuit, or the like, operably coupled (128) to the imaging device (106) and operably coupled (124, 126) to one or more light sources (30), configured to facilitate control of these devices in collecting data regarding touches on the deformable transmissive layer (110). For example, in one embodiment, the light sources (116, 122) each comprise a light emitting diode ("LED") operably coupled (124, 126) to the computing device (104) using electronic leads (124, 126), as shown in Figure 7A, and the imaging device (106) comprises a digital camera sensor chip operably coupled to the computing device using electronic leads (128). The power source (102) may be operatively coupled to the computing device (104) to provide power to the computing device (104) and may also be configured to controllably provide power through these couplings (128, 124, 126, respectively) to interconnected devices, such as the imaging device (106) and light sources (116, 122). As shown in FIG. 7A , a separation (640) is depicted to indicate that these coupling interfaces (128, 124, 126) may be short or relatively long (i.e., the digital touch sensing assembly 146 may be remote relative to the computing device 104), and may be a direct physical connection, or transmission of data over a wired or wireless interface, such as via an optical / optical networking protocol, or a wireless networking protocol such as Bluetooth® or an 802.11-based configuration, which may be facilitated by additional computing and power resources local to the digital touch sensing assembly (146).

[0031] 7B, a configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 7A is illustrated, except that the deformable permeable layer (110) of FIG. 7B comprises one or more bladders or enclosed volumes (112), which may be occupied, for example, by a fluid (such as a liquid or gas that can be physically handled in fluid form). In one embodiment, for example, the deformable permeable layer (110) may comprise several separately controllable expandable segments or sub-volumes and may comprise a cross-sectional shape selected to provide specific mechanical performance under load, such as a controllable honeycomb-type cross-sectional shape configuration. As noted above, the deformable permeable layer (110) may comprise a material or materials selected to match the touch-sensing paradigm in terms of bulk and / or Young's modulus. In other words, for sensing relatively low force scenarios, such as in digital touch scenarios interfacing with the surface of a soap bubble or a photosynthetic plant leaf, a relatively low modulus (i.e., generally locally flexible / deformable, not rigid) material, such as an elastomer, may be utilized for the deformable permeable layer (110) and / or the outer interface membrane (100), which may be removable as noted above, as described in, for example, the above-mentioned incorporated references. The outer interface membrane (100) may comprise an assembly of relatively thin and sequentially removable membranes, such that they may be sequentially removed, for example, in a "peel-off" manner, when they become loaded with dirt or dust. In embodiments such as that shown in FIG. 7B , in which the deformable permeable layer (110) comprises at least a temporarily trapped volume of liquid or gas, the gas or liquid, along with its pressure, may be modulated (e.g., pressure and / or volume may be modulated with respect to one or more bladder segments 112) to address a desired bulk modulus and sensitivity of the overall deformable permeable layer (110), generally changing the functional modulus of the deformable permeable layer 110.

[0032] Referring to Figure 7C, a configuration similar to that of Figure 7A is illustrated, which illustrates that the gap (130) between the imaging device (106) and the optical element (108) can be reduced or even eliminated depending on the optical layout of the imaging device (106), which can be interconnected with refractive and / or diffractive optics to change properties such as the focal length of the imaging device (106).

[0033] Referring to Figure 7D, a configuration similar to that of Figure 7A is illustrated, but the configuration of Figure 7D illustrates that one or more light sources may be more similar to light emitters (117, 123), which are configured to emit light originating elsewhere, such as coupled to one or more light LED light sources, which are coupled directly to the computing device (104) and configured to transmit the light via optical fiber, "light pipe," or waveguide through optically transparent coupling members (132, 134), which may be configured to pass photons from such sources to the emitters (117, 123) as efficiently as possible, such as via total internal reflection.

[0034] Similarly, referring to FIG. 7E, a configuration similar to that of FIG. 7D is illustrated in which the imaging device (107) includes capture optics selected to collect photons and transmit them back to the image sensor through an optically transparent coupling member (138), such as a waveguide or one or more optical fibers, which may be positioned within or coupled to the computing device (104) or other structure, which may reside separately from the digital touch sensing assembly (146).

[0035] 7F-7H, various aspects of a digital touch sensing assembly (146) configuration are illustrated, featuring a deformable permeable layer (110), which may be utilized to characterize interactions between surfaces. For example, referring to FIG. 7F, in a simplified illustrative embodiment, a computing system or device (104) operably coupled (136) to a power supply source (102) may be utilized to control light (1002) or other emissions from an illumination source (116) through a control coupling (124), which may be wired or wireless, which may be directed into the deformable permeable layer (110). The deformable transparent layer (110) may be pressed (1006) against at least a portion of an interfaced object (1004), such as the edge of a coin, and based on the interaction of the illumination (1002) and the deformable transparent layer (110), a detector, such as an image capture device (such as a CCD or CMOS device), may be operably coupled (128, such as by wired or wireless connectivity) to a computing system (104), and may be configured to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transparent layer. In other words, using an illumination source (116) operably coupled to pass illumination through the deformable transmissive layer at a known orientation (e.g., optically coupled with an efficient transmissive interface) so that at least a portion of the illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer, and a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer, the computing system may be configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface of the object interfaced with the deformable transmissive layer based, at least in part, on the interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer, and use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of at least one side of the interfaced object as interfaced to the interface membrane.Referring to FIG. 7G, as discussed further below, an interface membrane (100) may be interposed between the interfaced object (1004) and the deformable permeable layer (110), and such an interface membrane may have an elastic modulus similar to or different from that of the deformable permeable layer. Preferably, an efficient bond is created between the deformable permeable layer and the membrane so that shear and principal or normal loads are efficiently transferred between these structures. Referring back to FIG. 7A, an embodiment is illustrated that includes an optical element (108), which may be configured to assist in the precise distribution of light or other radiation throughout various portions of the assembled system. The optical element may comprise a substantially rigid material, which may be highly transparent, and may have a top surface, a bottom surface, and sides defined therebetween, forming a three-dimensional shape, such as, for example, a cylindrical, rectangular, and / or cuboid shape. The depicted optical element (108) may be illuminated by one or more interconnected light sources (116, 122) and positioned within the field of view of the imaging device (106). The housing (118) is configured to maintain the orientation of the components relative to each other and to the interface membrane (100), as described above, and may comprise, for example, a fixedly attached or removably coupled substantially thin layer comprising a relatively low bulk modulus polymeric material, which may be positioned for direct contact between another object and the digital touch sensing assembly (146) for touch determination and characterization. Preferably, the deformable permeable layer and / or the interface membrane comprise an elastomeric material, such as silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Other elastomers with low light and / or radiation transmission efficiency may also be utilized, such as natural rubber, neoprene, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), Viton, fluorosilicone, and polyacrylate.The deformable transmissive layer may comprise a composite having a pigment material, such as a metal oxide (e.g., iron oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, and / or titanium dioxide, etc.), metal nanoparticles (e.g., silver nanoparticles and / or aluminum nanoparticles, etc.), or other molecules, such as dyes, dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, configured to differentially interact with introduced light or radiation. The pigment material may be configured to provide illumination reflectivity that exceeds that of the elastomeric matrix. The deformable transmissive layer is bounded by a bottom surface directly bonded to the interface membrane, a top surface closest to the detector, and a transmissive layer thickness therebetween, with the pigment material dispersed adjacent to the bottom surface within the transmissive layer thickness to provide optimized illumination reflectivity adjacent to the bottom surface. Generally, aspects of suitable digital touch sensing assembly (146) constructions featuring elastomeric deformable permeable layer materials are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,965,854, 9,127,938, and 8,411,140 (each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). 3C , the depicted digital touch sensing assembly (146) may feature a gap or void (114), which may contain an optically transmissive material (such as one having a refractive index similar to that of the optical element (108)), air, or a specialty gas such as an inert gas, geometrically configured to place the side of the optical element (108) and / or deformable transmissive layer (110) within a desired proximity of the imaging device (106), which may comprise an imaging sensor such as a digital camera chip, a single light-sensing element (such as a photodiode), or an array of light-sensing elements, which may be configured to have a field of view and depth of field facilitated by the geometric gap or void (114). In another embodiment, the optical element (108) may be configured to be deformable or conformable so that the impact of the rigidity of such structure on other associated elements is minimized.

[0036] Also shown in Figure 7A is a computing device or system (104), which may comprise a computer, microcontroller, field programmable gate array, application specific integrated circuit, or the like, operably coupled to the imaging device (106) and to one or more light sources (116, 122) and configured to facilitate control of these devices in collecting data regarding touches on the deformable transmissive layer (110). For example, in one embodiment, the light sources (116, 122) each comprise a light emitting diode ("LED") operably coupled to the computing device using electronic leads (128), as shown in Figure 7A, and the imaging device (106) comprises a digital camera sensor chip operably coupled to the computing device using electronic leads (128). The power source (102) may be operatively coupled to the computing device (104) to provide power to the computing device (104) and may also be configured to controllably provide power through their couplings (128, 124, 126, respectively) to interconnected devices such as the imaging device (106) and light sources (116, 122). As shown in FIG. 7A (640), these coupling interfaces (128, 124, 126) may be short or relatively long (i.e., the digital touch sensing assembly 146 may be remote relative to the computing device 104) and may involve a direct physical connection or transmission of data over a wired or wireless interface, such as via an optical / optical networking protocol or a wireless networking protocol such as Bluetooth™ or an 802.11-based configuration, which may be facilitated by additional computing and power resources local to the digital touch sensing assembly (146).

[0037] Referring to Figure 7H, a partial schematic diagram illustrates that the computing system (104) may be operatively coupled (124, 126, 1012), such as via wired or wireless control leads, to two, three, or more different illumination sources (116, 122, 1010), which may be configured to emit at different wavelengths and / or have different polarizations, and may be configured to emit from different orientations relative to the optical element (108) and associated deformable transmissive layer (110), as depicted, to enable further data related to geometric profiling.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 8 , as described in the previously incorporated reference (U.S. Pat. No. 10,965,854), the deformable permeable layer or member (110) may have various geometric shapes and need not be planar or shaped into a form such as a rectangular parallelepiped or variations thereof; for example, the deformable permeable layer or member (110) may be curved, convex (144), saddle-shaped, and the like, and may be customized for various specific touch-sensing scenarios. For example, multiple assemblies (146) with convex-shaped deformable permeable layers (110), such as those shown in FIG. 8 , may be coupled to the grasping interface of a robotic gripper / hand to facilitate touch sensing / determination regarding a grasped item in a manner similar to the paradigm of skin segments between the joints of a human hand grasping an object. The assembly (146) configuration of FIG. 8 features a housing geometry (142) and coupling features (140) to facilitate detachable attachment to other components.

[0039] 9A , multiple digital touch sensing assemblies (146) may be utilized together to sense a larger surface (150) of an object (148). Each such assembly (146, five are illustrated in FIG. 9A ) may be operatively coupled to one or more computing devices (104) (152, 154, 156, 158, 160), such as via electronic leads (which may be interrupted by wireless connectivity, as discussed above), as illustrated, and thus configured to exchange data and facilitate the transmission of power, light, and control and sensing information.

[0040] With reference to Figure 9B, a larger plurality (162) of digital touch sensing assemblies (146) relative to those of Figure 9A may be utilized to partially or completely surround an object or to monitor digital touches with two or more surfaces of such an object. Each of the 30 depicted digital touch sensing assemblies (146) depicted in Figure 9B may be operatively coupled to the same or different computing devices (104) and associated leads, and may be combined or coupled to form a single combined associated lead assembly (164) as shown in Figure 9B.

[0041] 10A , while optional geometric separation (640) is shown between various components, such as the digital touch sensing assembly (146) and the computing device (104), it is important to note that these components may also be housed together and connected with other systems, components, and devices via wireless transceivers (166), such as those designed to function with IEEE 802.11, the so-called “Wifi” standard, and / or communications standards known for wireless connectivity and using the trademarked name “Bluetooth®,” such as Bluetooth® 4.x and Bluetooth® 5. Additionally, the depicted interconnected (136, such as via direct wire leads) power supply (102) components may include one or more connections (wired or wireless, via inductive power transfer, etc.) to one or more batteries or other power sources to provide additional power and / or charging for the integrated power supply (102) components. Various embodiments described herein relate to small or miniaturizable configurations that aid integration into other systems, such as those of an automobile, and it is desirable to facilitate such system integration using connectivity alternatives that can meet or align with known standards. For example, in various embodiment configurations where a touch sensing system such as that depicted in FIG. 10A can be miniaturized and packaged within a housing, and connectivity configurations can be designed for relatively simple integration into or with other systems, such system configurations can be considered to be toward "Internet of Things" integration capabilities, and it is expected that various devices will be relatively easily brought to work with other connected and integrated systems.

[0042] Referring again to FIG. 10A , a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is illustrated that is similar to that described with reference to FIG. 7A , but also features a number of additional sensing capabilities or “secondary sensor” elements selected to enhance the general capabilities of the assembly, such as by providing sensing data from one or more additional sensing subsystems, which may present their own levels of uncertainty and error sensing, such that so-called “sensor fusion” techniques can be utilized to improve the overall capabilities of the integrated configuration, such as through taking advantage of uncorrelated errors between the various sensing subsystems. For example, when a digital touch sensor based on a deformable permeable layer (110) potentially indicates contact with another object, but data from an integrated inertial measurement unit (or "IMU") (such as accelerometer or gyroscope data from one or more accelerometers or gyroscopes that may comprise such an IMU), a LIDAR subsystem (such as point cloud data regarding the area where contact is purported to occur), and an imaging device (such as a camera providing image data regarding the area where contact is purported to occur) provide additional, contradictory data with uncorrelated measurement / decision errors that establish the digital touch sensor is not in contact, The concept of uncorrelated errors with respect to other measurement / decision subsystems is important because if any other measurement / decision subsystems have the same correlated errors, they may contribute a level of redundancy or improved measurement, field of view, etc., but they may have similar error-based limitations. For example, having three pitot tubes on an airplane wing may provide some redundancy and additional measurement over a single pitot tube, but if they are all flown through freezing rain and become invalidated with the same correlated errors, the airplane would probably prefer to rely on subsystems with some degree of uncorrelated errors, such as compass, GPS, trajectory planning, etc.Thus, the concept of utilizing multiple sensors, with at least some degree of uncorrelated error, provides value and may be referred to as a form of "sensor fusion" through the availability of two or more sensors.) Also, as noted above, multiple sensors may be aggregated to complement and extend the geometric reach of the sensing paradigm, such as by coupling similar or dissimilar sensors adjacent to one another along a given surface or side of a structural element. Thus, referring back to FIG. 10A , a selection of additional sensing subsystems (IMU 172, capacitive touch sensing 174, resistive touch sensing 176, LIDAR sensing 178, strain or stretch sensing 180, load sensing 182, temperature sensing 184, additional image sensing 186) with at least some degree of uncorrelated error are shown operatively coupled as part of the depicted integrated system configuration (188, 190, 192, 194, 196, 198, 200, 202, each representing a connectivity lead, such as a conductive wire lead, which may be spliced ​​to a communication / connection bus 170 as shown in FIG. 10A , which may be directly interconnected 168 with the computing device 104).

[0043] For illustrative purposes, FIGS. 10B-10I depict various embodiments, and further details of the various subsystem integration may also be explored.

[0044] 10B, an embodiment is illustrated in which digital touch sensing assembly (146) is integrated with an interconnected IMU (172). The IMU (172), which may include one or more accelerometers and one or more gyroscopes, is fixedly coupled to housing (118) of digital touch sensing assembly (146) and may be operably coupled to computing device (104), such as via wire leads (188; shown coupled to communication bus 170, which is operably coupled to computing device 104, such as via wire leads 168). The computing device (104) may be configured not only to operate the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and to utilize the deformable permeable layer (110) to facilitate touch sensing as it physically interfaces to one or more objects, such as the touch interface (120), but also to operate the IMU (172) to capture data regarding, for example, angular and axial accelerations and / or changes in position or orientation of the housing (118) that may be associated with contact with an external object. In one embodiment, for example, the integrated system may be configured to increase the frame rate for touch sensing through the deformable permeable layer (110) when unexpected changes in axial or angular accelerations are detected utilizing IMU data and knowledge of the expected motion and acceleration of the housing (118). In other words, when the digital touch sensing assembly (146) is coupled to an electromechanical movement system, such as a robotic arm or robotic manipulator (e.g., 234, as in FIG. 11 ), and the computing system (104) is integrated to receive information regarding timing, direction / orientation, and kinematics regarding movement commands for the electromechanical movement system, it can be configured to separate expected accelerations from unexpected ones versus IMU ones and treat the unexpected ones as potential contact with external objects, which can be further explored using improved frame rates, computing, and general digital touch sensing through the deformable permeable layer (110).

[0045] 10C , an embodiment is illustrated in which a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is integrated with an interconnected capacitive sensing subsystem featuring a capacitive sensing controller (174) operably coupled to capacitive sensing elements (206) via wire leads (204) or the like, which may be integrated into a deformable, permeable layer and configured to facilitate enhanced touch sensing based on capacitance sensed between the sensing elements (206) and other objects, which may comprise a grid or multiple cells, somewhat similar to the manner in which some smartphones or other touchscreen interfaces are configured to detect touch based on detected capacitance. The capacitive sensing controller (174) may comprise one or more amplifiers and is fixedly coupled to a housing (118) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146) and may be operably coupled to the computing device (104) via wire leads (190; shown coupled to communication bus 170, which is operably coupled to computing device 104 via wire leads 168 or the like). The computing device (104) may be configured not only to operate the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and utilize the deformable permeable layer (110) to facilitate touch sensing, such as by physically interfacing to one or more objects, such as the touch interface (120), but also to operate the capacitive sensing controller (174) to capture data regarding detected changes in capacitance near the sensing elements (206), which may be associated with contact with an external object. In one embodiment, for example, the integrated system may be configured to increase the frame rate for touch sensing through the deformable permeable layer (110) when changes in capacitance are detected utilizing sensed capacitance data regarding the sensing elements (206). In other words, the system may be configured to utilize uncorrelated errors in both capacitive and deformable permeable layer (110)-based touch sensing and provide an optimized touch sensing output in response to determining that at least some indication of contact is present at or near the sensing elements (206).In other variations, combinations of various sensors, such as those with uncorrelated errors, may be utilized with various aspects of spatial separation relative to one another, since resolution and / or temporal response requirements may not be the same at each location with a given implementation.

[0046] 10D , an embodiment is illustrated in which a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is integrated with an interconnected resistive sensing subsystem featuring a resistive sensing controller (176) operably coupled to a resistive sensing element (208) via wire leads (210) or the like, which is integrated into a deformable permeable layer (110) and may be configured to facilitate enhanced touch sensing based on resistance sensed between the sensing element (208) and another object, which may comprise a grid or multiple cells, somewhat similar to the manner in which some smartphones or other touchscreen interfaces are configured to detect touch based on detected resistance. The resistive sensing controller (176) may comprise one or more amplifiers and is fixedly coupled to a housing (118) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146) and may be operably coupled to the computing device (104) via wire leads (192; shown coupled to communication bus 170, which is operably coupled to the computing device (104) via wire leads (168) or the like. The computing device (104) may be configured not only to operate the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and to utilize the deformable permeable layer (110) to facilitate touch sensing for physically interfacing to one or more objects, such as the touch interface (120), but also to operate the resistive sensing controller (176) to capture data regarding detected changes in capacitance near the sensing elements (208), which may be associated with contact with an external object. In one embodiment, for example, the integrated system may be configured to increase the frame rate for touch sensing through the deformable permeable layer (110) when changes in capacitance are detected using sensed capacitance data related to the sensing elements (208). In other words, the system may be configured to utilize uncorrelated errors in both resistive and deformable permeable layer (110)-based touch sensing to provide an optimized touch sensing output in response to determining that at least some indication of contact is present at or near the sensing elements (208).

[0047] 10E, an embodiment is illustrated in which a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is integrated with an interconnected LIDAR sensor (178), such as that available from Hokuyo Automatic USA Corporation. The LIDAR sensor (178) is fixedly coupled to the housing (118) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146) and may be operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads (194; shown coupled to communication bus 170, which is operably coupled to the computing device 104, such as via wire leads 168. The computing device (104) may be configured to utilize the deformable permeable layer (110) to operate the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and to physically interface to one or more objects, such as the touch interface (120), thereby facilitating touch sensing, as well as to operate the LIDAR sensor (178) and capture data about objects within the field of view (212) of the LIDAR sensor (178), such as, for example, a point cloud about nearby surfaces and objects. In one embodiment, for example, the integrated system may be configured to increase the frame rate for both the LIDAR (178) and touch sensing through the deformable permeable layer (110) when unexpected changes in the LIDAR (178) field of view (212; which is preferably oriented to at least somewhat align with the position and orientation of the associated deformable permeable layer 110) are detected using the LIDAR (178) data. In other words, when the deformable permeable layer (110) begins to approach another object as detected by a change in the point cloud detected by the LIDAR (178) system, the deformable permeable layer (110) and associated computing and imaging capabilities may be transitioned into an enhanced functionality mode for detecting and characterizing any touch / contact.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 10F , an embodiment is illustrated in which a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is integrated with an interconnected strain or extension sensor (180). The strain sensor (180) may comprise one or more extension-sensing elements (216), such as in a strain gauge, and electrical resistance may be correlated to extension. Such extension-sensing elements (216) may be integrated or embedded within the deformable permeable layer (110), and the strain controller (180) may be fixedly coupled to the housing (118) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146) and operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads (196; shown coupled to communication bus 170, which is operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads 168. The computing device (104) may be configured to operate the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and physically interface to one or more objects, such as the touch interface (120), thereby facilitating touch sensing by utilizing the deformable permeable layer (110) as well as operate the strain controller (180) to capture data regarding strain or elongation, for example, that may be associated with contact with an external object. The elongation-sensing element or elements may comprise a grid or network and may be operably coupled to the strain controller (180) via one or more wire leads (214), etc. In one embodiment, for example, the integrated system may be configured to optimize touch-sensing sizing through the deformable permeable layer (110) as changes in elongation are detected utilizing strain sensor data. For example, if the deformable permeable layer (110) is moved over a bump in a surface, the magnitude of the bump as determined using the deformable permeable layer (110) may be compared with the change in contact surface deflection detected using the strain sensors (180, 216), thereby providing two sources of data for such a determination, with at least some degree of uncorrelated measurement / determination error.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 10G , an embodiment is illustrated in which a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is integrated with an interconnected load sensor (182). The load sensor (182) may comprise one or more load-sensing elements or cells (220), which may comprise one or more devices configured to produce an electrical output that varies with an applied load, such as, for example, one or more piezoelectric load cells. Such load-sensing elements (220) may be integrated or embedded within the deformable permeable layer (110), and the load sensor controller (182) may be fixedly coupled to the housing (118) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146) and operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads (198; shown coupled to communication bus 170, which is operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads 168. The computing device (104) may be configured to operate the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and physically interface to one or more objects, such as the touch interface (120), thereby utilizing the deformable permeable layer (110) to not only facilitate touch sensing but also operate the force-sensing controller (182) to capture data regarding loads, for example, that may be associated with contact with an external object. The load-sensing element or elements may comprise a grid or network and may be operably coupled to the load-sensing controller (182) via one or more wire leads (218), for example. In one embodiment, for example, the integrated system may be configured to optimize touch-sensing sizing through the deformable permeable layer (110) as changes in load are detected utilizing the load sensor data. For example, if a portion of the deformable permeable layer (110) is pressed against the surface of another object, the magnitude of the contact as determined using the deformable permeable layer (110) may be compared with the change in contact surface load detected using the load sensors (182, 220), thereby providing two sources of data for such a determination, with at least some degree of uncorrelated measurement / determination error.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 10H, an embodiment is illustrated in which a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is integrated with an interconnected temperature sensor (184). The temperature sensing subsystem may include a temperature sensor controller (184), which may include, for example, an amplifier and / or a microcontroller, and one or more temperature sensing elements or cells (224), which may include, for example, one or more devices configured to produce an electrical output that varies with temperature, such as, for example, one or more thermocouple elements. Such temperature sensing elements (224) may be integrated or embedded within the deformable permeable layer (110), and the temperature sensor controller (184) may be fixedly coupled to the housing (118) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146) and operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads (200; shown coupled to communication bus 170, which is operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads 168. The computing device (104) may be configured to operate the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and to utilize the deformable permeable layer (110) to facilitate touch sensing and to also operate the temperature sensing controller (184) to capture data regarding one or more temperatures, for example, that may be associated with contact with an external object, since the computing device (104) operates the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and is physically interfaced to one or more objects, such as the touch interface (120). The temperature sensing element or elements (224) may comprise a grid or network and may be operably coupled to the temperature sensing controller (184) via one or more wire leads (222), for example. In one embodiment, for example, the integrated system may be configured to optimize touch sensing characterization through the deformable permeable layer (110) as changes in temperature are detected.For example, if a portion of the deformable permeable layer (110) is pressed against the surface of another object having a temperature different from the ambient temperature (as would likely be the case when touching most biological tissue in a surgical environment), the magnitude of the contact as determined using the deformable permeable layer (110) may be compared to the change in contact surface temperature detected using the temperature sensors (184, 224), thereby providing two sources of data relevant to contact profile determination, with at least some degree of uncorrelated measurement / determination error.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 10I, an embodiment is illustrated in which a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is integrated with an imaging device (106) operatively integrated with a deformable transmissive layer (110), as well as an interconnected imaging sensor (186). The imaging sensor (186) may comprise a camera and may be configured to operate at various selected wavelengths, such as visible light, infrared light, and the like. The imaging sensor (186) is fixedly coupled to a housing (118) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146) and may be operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads (202; shown coupled to communication bus 170, which is operably coupled to the computing device (104), such as via wire leads 168. The computing device (104) may be configured to utilize the deformable permeable layer (110) to operate the imaging device (106) and illumination sources (116, 122) and to physically interface to one or more objects, such as the touch interface (120), thereby facilitating touch sensing, as well as to operate the imaging sensor (186) and capture data regarding objects within the field of view (226) of the imaging sensor (186), such as images of nearby surfaces and objects. In one embodiment, for example, the integrated system may be configured to increase the frame rate for both the imaging sensor (186) and touch sensing through the deformable permeable layer (110) when unexpected changes in the imaging sensor's (186) field of view (226; which is preferably oriented to at least somewhat align with the position and orientation of the associated deformable permeable layer 110) are detected using data from the imaging sensor (186). In other words, when the deformable transparent layer (110) begins to approach another object as detected by a change in image data detected by the imaging sensor (186) system, the deformable transparent layer (110) and associated computing and imaging capabilities may be transitioned into an enhanced functionality mode for detecting and characterizing any touch / contact.In alternative embodiments, imaging sensor (186) may be configured to operate at infrared wavelengths, for example to assist in detecting thermal profiles, and further, imaging sensor (186) may comprise a so-called "depth camera" or "time-of-flight" image sensor, such as those available from PrimeSense, Inc., a subsidiary of Apple, Inc., which may be configured to obtain not only image data but also data regarding the depth or z-axis position of such image data relative to imaging sensor (186).

[0052] 10B-10I, and referring back to FIG. 10A, various combinations and permutations of these illustrated sensing configurations may be integrated together in various embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, it may be desirable to have IMU sensor capabilities along with LIDAR to complement digital touch sensing through the deformable permeable layer (110). Various examples and embodiments are described below.

[0053] 11 , a configuration employing a digital touch sensing assembly (146) is illustrated coupled to a distal portion (236) of a robotic arm or robotic manipulator (234) mounted to a movable base (238). The robotic manipulator (234) may comprise an elongated arm configuration with various movable joints between rigid or semi-rigid linkages, as shown, or may comprise a flexible robotic manipulator, such as what may be referred to as a robotic catheter or tubular flexible robot (which may be available, for example, from Intuitive Surgical, Inc. or Johnson & Johnson, Inc.). The digital touch sensing assembly (146) is depicted operably coupled to a computing device (144), which is coupled (136) to a power supply (102), such as via a wired or wireless connection (232, 230, 166). The robotic arm (234) may be operated by the computing system (144) to advance toward and inspect an object (228) having a surface of interest (70), which may include elements such as rivets (72), which may be susceptible to failure or require regular inspection.

[0054] 12, by utilizing various aspects of the aforementioned configurations, a digital touch sensing assembly (146) may be utilized to inspect the present surface (70) and its features (72) through a controlled interface with the interface surface (120). In other words, as discussed above and further illustrated in FIG. 12, various other sensing configurations and associated data may be utilized in addition to digital touch sensing through the deformable permeable layer (240), including, but not limited to, IMU data (242), capacitive sensor data (244), resistive sensor data (246), LIDAR / point cloud data (248), strain or extension sensor data (250), load sensor data (252), temperature sensor data (254), and data from additional imaging devices (256).

[0055] Referring to FIG. 13A, a system similar to that of the configuration of FIG. 11 is illustrated with the addition of additional sensing capabilities coupled to a room or operating environment (260) connected (258, 230, 166, such as via wired or wireless connectivity to a computing system 144), as well as additional sensing capabilities coupled to a digital touch sensing assembly (146). As shown in FIG. 13A , one mounting member (359) is configured to couple an additional imaging device (270) to the digital touch sensing assembly (146) in a position and orientation that can capture a field of view relative to a zone in front of the interface surface (120) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146), another mounting member (358) is configured to couple a further additional imaging device (272) to the digital touch sensing assembly (146) in a position and orientation that can capture a different visual height field of view relative to a zone in front of the interface surface (120) of the digital touch sensing assembly (146), and further, a LIDAR device (274) is coupled to the second mounting member (358) in a position and orientation to assist in capturing point cloud and other data relative to the operating environment surrounding the digital touch sensing assembly (146). As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the connected room (260) also features enhanced sensing capabilities, with multiple imaging devices (264, 266) and an additional LIDAR sensor (268) coupled to the room (260) in positions and orientations selected to assist in high-precision analysis of the robot (234)'s movements relative to the object (228) to be inspected as the object is positioned on the table (262) within the room (260).

[0056] Referring to Figure 13B, further enhancements may be included on the computing device side of the system and interconnected (318) to enable a user operating the computing system (144) to remotely understand the aspect of the surface (70) of the object (228) being inspected by the digital touch sensing assembly (146). As shown in Figure 13B, a display (278) may be utilized to assist an associated user in viewing output from the digital touch sensing assembly (146) as well as images or point clouds from the other interconnected sensing subsystems (270, 272, 274, 268, 264, 266). Additionally, a tactile interface (280), such as those illustrated in Figures 13C-13F, may be utilized to assist the user in experiencing a representation of the detected surface features. An interconnected 3D printer (276) may also be utilized to complement this "touch-sensitive workstation" so that the user may decide to directly experience several layers of the detected geometry by printing the geometry locally for direct manipulation (such as via the user's hand).

[0057] Referring to Figure 13C, a tactile interface variation (282) may be coupled to a computing system (not shown) and configured to provide a user with the sensation of experiencing a real or virtual surface through a manipulation interface, such as a spherical member (290) configured to be held by the user's hand. Figure 13D illustrates a tactile interface variation (284) configured to provide a hand (12)-grasped manipulation interface (292) for a user (4) to experience aspects of a real or virtual surface through an interconnected computing system (not shown). Figures 13E and 13F illustrate additional tactile interface variations (286, 288) in which the hand (12) of the user (4) may be able to experience aspects of a real or virtual surface through a pen-like (294) manipulation interface or a finger-socket (296) manipulation interface. 13B with one of the tactile interfaces shown, a user may be able to observe (through the display 278), directly touch / manipulate (through the 3D printer 276), and haptically experience (through the tactile interface 280) aspects of the surface (70) of the inspected object (228) from a nearby or remote location. Thus, with reference to Figures 14 and 15, aspects of variations of such configurations are illustrated.

[0058] 14 , a user desires to utilize a sensing system to engage a surface, and the system is calibrated and positioned within proximity of the targeted surface (302). The user navigates the sensing surface toward the targeted surface (304), such as via an electromechanical arm or robotic manipulator, using feedback to the user regarding the position and orientation of the sensing surface provided by the positioning platform (e.g., inverse kinematics, load cells, deflection sensors, joint positions, etc.). As the sensing surface is navigated closer to the targeted surface, integrated sensing capabilities facilitate detection of the targeted surface and features (e.g., the system may be configured so that the integrated camera and LIDAR first detect the targeted surface, followed by other integrated sensing capabilities, which may be configured for sensing associated with closer engagement) (306). The system may be configured to specifically create a contact event between the sensing surface and the targeted surface (e.g., repositioning and reorienting the sensing surface may be slowed, and audio, visual, and / or tactile cues may be utilized to communicate contact) (308). The user may reposition and reorient the sensing surface relative to the targeted surface and use integrated sensing capabilities (e.g., acceleration detected by an IMU, capacitive touch sensing, resistive touch sensing, LIDAR, strain or deflection gauges, load sensing, temperature sensing, and / or cameras and other imaging devices) (310). The system may be configured to present aspects of the targeted surface to the user (e.g., via a locally printed surface or portion thereof) (312) so that the user will have an enhanced understanding of the targeted surface, such as through a combination of visual, tactile, audio, and tactile information.

[0059] 15 , a user at a location remote from a targeted surface desires to utilize a sensing system to engage the targeted surface, and the system is calibrated and positioned within proximity of the targeted surface (314). The user navigates the sensing surface toward the targeted surface (304), such as via an electromechanical arm or robotic manipulator, using feedback to the user regarding the position and orientation of the sensing surface provided by the positioning platform (e.g., inverse kinematics, load cells, deflection sensors, joint positions, etc.). As the sensing surface is navigated closer to the targeted surface, the integrated sensing capabilities facilitate detection of the targeted surface and features (e.g., the system may be configured so that the integrated camera and LIDAR first detect the targeted surface, followed by other integrated sensing capabilities, which may be configured for sensing associated with closer engagement) (306). The system may be configured to specifically create a contact event between the sensing surface and the targeted surface (e.g., repositioning and reorienting the sensing surface may be slowed, and audio, visual, and / or tactile cues may be utilized to communicate contact) (308). The user may reposition and reorient the sensing surface relative to the targeted surface and use integrated sensing capabilities (e.g., acceleration detected by an IMU, capacitive touch sensing, resistive touch sensing, LIDAR, strain or deflection gauges, load sensing, temperature sensing, and / or cameras and other imaging devices) (310). The system may be configured to present aspects of the targeted surface to a remote user (e.g., via a locally printed surface or portion thereof) (316) so that the user will have an enhanced understanding of the targeted surface, such as through a combination of visual, tactile, audio, and haptic feedback.

[0060] 16A-17, various aspects of another illustrative configuration utilizing the integrated touch sensing system described herein are shown. Referring to FIG. 16A, an interconnected room, kiosk, or measurement enclosure (324; connected via wired or wireless connectivity 320, 230, 166 to a computing system 144, which is integrated with and interconnected to other aspects of the touch workstation, such as a power supply 102, a 3D printer 276, a display 278, and / or a tactile interface 280, as described above) is shown, along with additional imaging devices (270, 272) and a LIDAR detector ( The measurement enclosure or kiosk (324) may feature several imaging, sensing, and detection interconnected resources, such as a LIDAR device (286), one or more imaging devices (264, 266), and a digital touch sensing assembly (146) interconnected to a workstation (274), each configured to assist in characterizing the geometry and surface of an object, such as a foot (322) of a person (4), which may be lowered (326) into a position where the foot engages the digital touch sensing assembly (146), as shown in FIG. 16B . In other words, the measurement enclosure or kiosk (324) may be configured to facilitate convenient engagement of a portion of a user's appendage, such as a portion of the user's leg or arm, and to gather highly accurate information about an object, such as the plantar surface of the user's foot, which may be utilized to design orthopedic insoles, ski boots, and the like. The combined data available at the interconnected workstation may be utilized not only to inspect the target object (such as a user's foot), but also to precisely characterize its geometry. For example, the digital touch sensing assembly (146) may be utilized to precisely characterize the primary load surface (i.e., the bottom surface of the foot 322 of the user 4), and the image and point cloud data may be utilized to further understand the geometry of the object (the foot and lower leg of the user 4) so ​​that these findings may be utilized to aid in orthopedic research, pre- or post-surgical studies, custom shoe design, and the like. One such configuration is illustrated in FIG. 17.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 17 , in one embodiment, an improved understanding of foot geometry and loading patterns is desired for a particular user (330). The user may expose their foot, and the system may be initialized for characterization (332). The user may position / orient their foot within the measurement structure to facilitate scanning of the exposed foot's lateral geometry (334). The user may reposition / reorient their foot within the measurement structure to facilitate further scanning of the exposed foot's lateral geometry (336). While the user places their foot on the deformable permeable layer and tolerates loads on the foot, the system collects data regarding the loading pattern, anatomical structure, and geometry (338). The system may be configured to create an anatomical / geometric profile of the user's foot along with a loading profile associated with the anatomical / geometric profile (340). The anatomical / geometric profile and loading profile may be utilized to create an interface structure (such as a shoe, ski boot, or orthopedic insole) and / or diagnose an associated medical condition (342).

[0062] Referring back to Figures 13A and 13B, some surfaces and objects may be presented in a somewhat easily accessed configuration. Many other fine manipulation and / or contact scenarios involve greater geometric or spatial complexity. For example, referring to Figure 18A, a scenario that would be very simple for a human (346) is illustrated in which the human's (346) hand (348) may be utilized to controllably approach and then touch, inspect, and / or grasp a targeted object, such as a cookie (354) that happens to be within the container (344), which may be so fragile that relatively high force or impulse contact should be avoided to preserve the integrity of the container (344) and / or object (here, the cookie 354, which may also be fragile). The support structure or substrate (such as the table 352) upon which the container (344) rests may also be fragile or susceptible to damage under high force or impulse. The human upper extremities happen to be highly dexterous in facilitating successful handling of this exemplary scenario, due in part to the smooth motor neurons, muscles, and kinematic activity of the upper extremities, as well as the distribution of sensory neurons in tissues such as the skin. For example, the depicted human (346) would typically have sensory neurons throughout the skin, such as in areas of the wrist (350) and hand (348), such that the associated human (346) could carefully navigate the geometry of the container and the targeted object (354) and the mechanical fracture mechanisms associated with both. In other words, the human could utilize touch sensing through the skin and other tissues to navigate this scenario without destroying the associated structures.Tackling the same scenario with a mechanical system, such as with a backhoe loader (in an expanded version of this scenario) or a remotely controlled robot, poses many challenges because humans controlling at a remote location (such as across a room from the robot, or across the country from the robot as connected by computing connectivity capabilities) typically do not have human-level senses or touch or feel associated with the interaction and may not perceive, via visual or auditory confirmation, etc., that one or more relevant structures are about to be damaged until it is too late.

[0063] Referring to Figures 18A and 18B, target touch sensing technology can be utilized to address such scenarios and provide users in nearby or remote locations with enhanced sensing of such physical engagement.

[0064] 18B , an electromechanically controllable robotic arm (234), along with an interconnected touch-sensing assembly (146) such as that described above, is shown within a chamber (260) positioned to inspect an object (such as cookies 354) within a container (such as jar 344) resting on a substrate or support structure (such as table 352). The chamber (260) may preferably be configured with multiple sensors, such as a LIDAR (268), coupled thereto and one or more image capture devices (264, 266) positioned to capture information about the volume surrounding the robot and / or targeted object (354) in a manner that provides high-quality data from multiple sources with uncorrelated errors, as described above. One or more additional sensing devices, such as an additional image capture device (270) and a LIDAR (274), may be coupled to the robotic arm (234) to provide further information about the volume surrounding the interconnected touch sensing assembly (146) and additional high-quality data from multiple sources with uncorrelated errors for improved data fusion capabilities. The sensors (146, 264, 266, 268, 270, 274) may each be coupled (232, 258, 230), such as via a wired or wireless connection, to one or more computing devices (104), which may be configured to facilitate interaction control. Using such a configuration, the distal, target-facing touch sensing assembly (146), as described above, may be configured to help a user gain perception of a physical interaction with the deformable permeable layer (110) of the touch sensing assembly (146), which may be located nearby or remotely. Additionally, as described above with reference to FIG. 13B, the user may be provided with a workstation capable of providing one or more means for perceiving physical engagement, such as a tactile interface (280), a display (278), and / or a 3D printer (276, i.e., to facilitate printing one or more layers of the target object).To further enhance a user's perception of a physical engagement scenario using a remotely operable manipulation or inspection configuration (such as a robot 234, as shown), an additional touch sensing assembly (360) may be coupled to the remotely controllable engagement system (234), such as in a configuration that is partially or wholly circumferential about a distal portion of such system, as shown. In other words, the additional touch sensing assembly (360) may comprise similar components to the touch sensing assembly (146) described above, provide one or more outwardly facing deformable permeable layers (110), and be operably coupled (232, 230) to the computing device (104), such as via wired or wireless connectivity, and be coupled around a portion of the periphery of the associated structure in a manner that provides additional touch sensing for a user of the remote workstation. 18B, additional touch sensing assemblies (360) are preferably positioned on the remotely controllable engagement system (234) at locations that will aid the remote user in understanding important aspects of remote engagement, such as at a distal or "wrist" location where contact with the targeted or associated object is likely to occur. For example, circumferential positioning of the additional touch sensing assemblies (360) around at least a portion of the distal touch sensing assembly (146) may be useful in assisting the remote user in navigating down through the mouth of the container (344) to the targeted object (354), since subtle or more direct contact with either of the sensing assemblies (360, 146) may occur during such approach.

[0065] 18C, a configuration similar to that of FIG. 18B is illustrated with the addition of another touch sensing assembly (362) circumferentially coupled around at least a portion of what may be referred to as a “forearm” member of the depicted robot (234), and again operably coupled (232, 230) to computing system (104), such as via wired or wireless connectivity. Indeed, both touch sensing assemblies (360, 362) may be configured to sense circumferentially around elongated assembly (234) via diametrically opposed pairs of touch sensing assemblies (146), such as groups of three or more touch sensing assemblies that may be separated from one another in an evenly circumferentially spaced configuration (i.e., to maximize coverage of the nearby environment). Such additional sensing capabilities at the depicted locations may further assist the remote user in successfully navigating the illustrated physical engagement challenges and touching, inspecting, and / or grasping the targeted object (here, one dollar bill 355).

[0066] As described above with reference to Figures 9A and 9B, various sensor configurations may be created by assembling and operably coupling multiple touch sensing assemblies (146), and such interconnections may be utilized to create circumferential or partially circumferential touch sensing assemblies (360, 362), as shown in Figures 18B and 18C. Also, as described above with reference to Figures 7A-7E, etc., components such as optical fibers and / or waveguides may be utilized to move sensors to various locations relative to the emission or captured radiation of captured light, etc. (i.e., rather than positioning an optical sensor or image capture device directly at the capture location, light may be captured at the capture location using a waveguide, a transparent fiber, or a combination or multiple thereof, and facilitate transmission to an optical sensor or image capture device positioned more remotely from such capture location). With reference to Figures 18D-18K, various configurations are illustrated that provide alternatives for radiation transmission for touch sensing assemblies (146, 360, 362), such as those described above. Referring to Figure 18D, for example, a configuration similar to that illustrated in Figure 7A is shown comprising an optical element (108) operably coupled with a light (or other wavelength radiation; e.g., alternatively, it may be infrared wavelength) emitting device (116) in a configuration selected to result in photon propagation (364) from emission in the light emitting device (116) to various positions along the optical element (108), where the photons may intersect into the deformable transmissive layer (110) with an exit angle (366) predefined by the reflective / refractive properties of the material and the geometry of the structure, such as from about 20 degrees to about 40 degrees. Figure 18E illustrates a similar configuration with light emission from two sides (116, 122) as in the assembly of Figure 7A.Referring back to FIG. 7A , when an image capture device having dimensions within the range of a three-dimensional cube, with edge dimensions of approximately 1.5 mm, a distance to the imaging object of approximately 3 mm, and a working distance of approximately 5 mm, is combined with an optical element (108) having a thickness of approximately 4 mm (368) and a deformable transmissive layer (110) of approximately 1-2 mm, the assembly may be in the range of 1-15 mm thick, with such dimensions depending, at least in part, on the illumination requirements and in-situ loading demands, in terms of selection. While such assembly dimensions are practical in a variety of configurations, they may be minimized using alternative configurations.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 18F, certain so-called "front-lit" or "front-illuminated" films (372), such as those utilized in computing device displays (e.g., which may be utilized outdoors or in other brightly lit environments where traditional backlighting configurations may not be effective; mobile devices, such as those available under the trademark Kindle®, may utilize reflective display configurations selected to employ ambient light such that an illumination layer resides between the pixels of the display and the viewer), may utilize an optical element (166) with a desired angle of emission (366), as shown in FIG. The illumination film 372 may include light extraction features along its length (370) for controllably extracting light or other radiation in a desired location or distribution, such as toward or away from the deformable transmissive layer 110; i.e., light may bounce 902 through the illumination film 372, exit 904 the film, and enter the deformable transmissive layer 110, such as via total internal reflection, which may act as a carrier for the various optical layers and a spacer to allow sufficient spacing for light mixing perpendicular to the plane of the deformable transmissive layer, i.e., "z-axis spacing"), and may have a thickness (370) in the 100 micron range. A cladding layer (not shown), such as one comprising a silicone material, may be bonded to the exterior surface of the film (372), and the carrier layers may also be interconnected, for example, to provide additional structure and localized planarity. Using such a configuration, the assembly thickness may be reduced by about half, to about 5-6 mm, depending on the material and light extraction features of the film (372). 18F, there may be portions (900) of the deformable transmissive layer (110) that are difficult to access given the positioning and exit path / angle (904, 906) of the illumination layer (372). Figure 18G illustrates another embodiment in which the film 372 is positioned between the optical element 108 and the deformable transmissive layer 110, and is therefore closer to the deformable transmissive layer (110), as in various so-called "front-lit" configurations.Similar to the configuration of Figure 18F, features within the illumination layer may assist in controlled bounce / reflection 902 and emission or extraction 904, such as via total internal reflection, to direct illumination toward other layers, such as the deformable transmissive layer (110), as shown. The illumination film (372) thickness (370) may be determined by factors related to lighting requirements, such as whether very tightly controlled illumination is required (e.g., more light may require a thicker illumination film; tighter angular control may require a thinner illumination film). Importantly, such layers may be generally planar, but may also be non-planar or curved, with various levels of complexity (convex, concave, cylindrical, etc.), may be illuminated from various locations, and may be elongated, as illustrated in Figures 18H and 181, which may facilitate circumferential geometries such as those illustrated in the cuff-like circumferential sensors (360, 362) of Figures 18B and 18C. Furthermore, such films (372) may be bonded not only to one side but also to multiple sides for controlled reflectivity, as illustrated in Figure 18J, which illustrates a configuration with controlled reflectivity front lighting films interconnected to four sides (372, 374, 376, 378) around the periphery of the depicted optical element (108), as shown, or in other embodiments, a configuration similar to that of Figure 18I, as shown, could have up to six sides, with two additional lighting films interconnected to either side of the optical element (108) in a manner flush with the drawing paper.

[0068] Referring to Figures 18K and 18L, as discussed above, waveguides may be utilized as transmission or interconnection members to efficiently move light between various elements. Figure 18K, for example, illustrates a wedge-type waveguide with a maximum thickness (380), which may be in the range of 1-5 mm, and which has an included angle (384) in the range of 1-15 degrees, which may aid in the propagation (388) of light from the emission device (116), across the waveguide (392), into the optical element (108), and into the deformable transmissive layer (110), and an air gap (908) may be configured to aid in the transverse transmission from the waveguide (392) into the optical element (108). Figure 18L illustrates a similar wedge-type waveguide with a maximum thickness (382), which may be in the range of 1-2 mm, and which has an included angle (386) in the range of 2-8 degrees, which may aid in the propagation (390) of light in a straight line from the emission device (116) across the waveguide (394) (again, an air gap 909 is shown to aid transmission and prevent total internal reflection) into the deformable transmissive layer (110). In the configuration of Figure 18K, a membrane (not shown) may be placed at the top right of the depicted surface of the deformable transmissive layer (110), and an additional capture device or camera as well as an additional illumination source may be added to the opposite (shown left) side of the waveguide (394), as long as the opposite side does not have a specularly reflective coating. Specular coatings and so-called "turning film" elements may be included to further aid in efficiently guiding and transmitting light or other radiation between elements (e.g., light exiting the depicted waveguide 392 may be on an exit vector generally parallel to the normal of the waveguide 392, and it may be desirable to "turn" the exiting light to create a desired illumination angle, such as by coupling a turning film to the waveguide 392). The components, materials, geometries, and refractive / reflective properties may be tailored for a variety of specific geometric challenges, such as those presented in the various use cases described and illustrated herein.

[0069] As noted above, increasing the perception of activity at a remote location through a local workstation for a user, whether the user is located across the room, in another building, or across the world, is a significant challenge for many computerized systems, such as telecommunications, remote presence, remote inspection, or remote action systems. Referring to FIG. 19A , one enhancement of perception at a local workstation for a user (4) may be via a tactile master input device (280), which may be operatively coupled (396, 230) to an interconnected computer system (104), such as via a wired or wireless connection, to enable the user (4) to perceive aspects of touch, such as simulated transformations of touch, friction, texture, and the like, through the user's hand (12) and / or wrist (13), locally at the workstation. 19B , in another embodiment, it may be useful to facilitate further local perception of remote physical interactions through what may be referred to as a “touch translation interface” (398), such as one that may be removably coupled to a user's wrist (13), operably coupled to a computing system (400, 230), such as via wired or wireless communication, and configured to provide the user (4) with one or more sensations at the wrist (13) or elsewhere that may be relevant to and / or intuitively associated with activity at the remote location, such as contact between objects at the remote location. Such sensations may be provided in addition to sensations provided to the user (4) through, for example, a tactile master input device or controller (280). In other words, in various embodiments, multimodal sensations may be provided to the user (4), helping the user perceive activity at the remote location with increased fidelity.

[0070] 20A-20C, various aspects of a road vehicle, such as a computerized electric vehicle, present opportunities for touch integration and enhancement. For example, typically, a human operator will have a highly consistent touch interface with parts of the vehicle's structure, such as the pedals (404, 406), floor (414), driver's seat (412), steering wheel (408), sides of the dashboard control and / or display interface (410), and what may be known as portions of the "A-pillar" (402). Each of these structures, as well as others, presents opportunities for integrated touch sensing to aid in operation, control, and safety, for example. 20B and 20C, touch-sensing assemblies featuring a deformable permeable layer may be operably coupled to various sides of the front (438, 440, 442) and rear (444, 446, 448) vehicle bumpers or frame structures to help detect deformations associated with an impact and may be utilized to trigger safety systems such as seat belt retractors or passenger airbags in addition to, or as a replacement for, other more conventional sensors configured to provide such functionality, such as built-in accelerometers, which may introduce longer latency into control for such safety systems than touch-sensing assemblies featuring a deformable permeable layer. In other words, placement of a touch-sensing assembly featuring a deformable permeable layer may be selected to provide intrusion detection very early in the intrusion, perhaps before an acceleration detection system detects an actionable change in acceleration in a frame component or the like.20B illustrates various locations and positions within the interior of a vehicle where a central controller or computing system may be operatively coupled to a touch-sensing assembly featuring a deformable permeable layer such that the central controller or computing system may detect user touch and / or contact through touch sensors operatively coupled to each of the pedals (416, 418), driver floor (420), driver base (422), driver back (424), driver headrest (426), shifter interface (430), central control console interface (428), steering wheel (432), dashboard portion (434), and portion (436) of the A-pillar (402) structure. The touch-sensing assembly featuring a deformable permeable layer for each of these illustrative structures may have different geometries, comprise various materials, and provide structural properties tailored to each usage scenario. For example, the structural modulus of the seat base (422) touch sensors may generally be relatively low, and the information sought may be of relatively low resolution (e.g., a general weight profile of the operator without high resolution, particularly to help determine that a child or dog under a certain weight should not attempt to operate the vehicle), in contrast to the center console (428) interface, where the structural modulus may be selected to be relatively high to provide sufficient penetration with a typical touch force to obtain desired information, such as a general fingerprint geometry correlation, which may be analyzed when starting the vehicle for a layer of biometric security for authorized users / operators.

[0071] One of the challenges associated with integrating multiple touch sensing assemblies featuring deformable permeable layers into a system, such as an automobile or robot, is interconnectivity. Referring to Figure 21A, for example, as noted above, various aspects of control, signal, power, and / or actuation connectivity (232, 230) between a system, such as a robot (234), featuring a touch sensing assembly (146) and a computing system (144) may be achieved through wired wiring leads or wireless connectivity, such as via Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11, or various other standards. 21B, and as shown in expanded views in Figures 21C and 21D, it may be desirable to have at least some components or aspects of a system, such as a robot (234), featuring a touch-sensing assembly (146) in a relatively tetherless form, such that a wireless transceiver (166) may be utilized for many, if not all, of the communications with other interconnected systems, while power and some level of controller and / or computing capability may be provided by an on-board computing device (144) and power system (102), such as an integrated chipset, microcontroller, field programmable gate array, application specific integrated circuit, and the like, and a battery, which may be rechargeable via wireless inductance, etc. Such integration and the general trend toward tetherless configurations may be referred to as the "Internet of Things" variant and may be useful in many system integration challenges. For example, referring to FIG. 22, a wirelessly connected touch sensing assembly (146) similar to that shown in FIG. 21C may be integrated into a door locking system configuration, where a person's thumb (452) or other finger may be utilized to engage a deformable permeable layer to provide biometric authentication / lock access functionality and facilitate unlocking.The touch sensing assembly (146) may be wirelessly connected to, for example, one or more computing systems within an associated building and / or one or more computing systems that may be mobile, resident in a data center, and the like.

[0072] 23A and 23B, a variation of a handheld surface (460) analysis tool is shown featuring a wirelessly connected touch sensing assembly (146) such as that shown in FIG. 21C, where the housing (458) may be configured to engage a user's hand (462) and facilitate engagement of the deformable permeable layer and associated interface surface (120) with the surface (460) of an object targeted for surface analysis. The touch sensing assembly (146) may be wirelessly connected to one or more computing systems within an associated building, for example, and / or one or more computing systems that may be mobile, resident in a data center, and the like, and the handheld assembly may house its own power supply, such as a battery, for operational purposes.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 24A , a vehicle configuration with integrated touch sensors is illustrated with touch sensing assemblies operably coupled to various structures, such as an elongated touch sensor (436) coupled to the vehicle's A-pillar (402), touch sensors (416, 418) coupled to the pedals, a touch sensor (420) coupled to the driver's seat floor, a touch sensor (428) coupled to the center console, a touch sensor (422) coupled to the base of the driver's seat (412), a touch sensor (424) coupled to the driver's seat back, a touch sensor (426) coupled to the driver's seat headrest, a touch sensor (430) coupled to a shifter member, a touch sensor (432) coupled to the steering wheel, and a touch sensor (434) coupled to a portion of the vehicle's dashboard, with such sensors connected to a central computing system (144) by wire lead-type connectivity (464).

[0074] Referring to FIG. 24B, sensors at similar locations having wireless connectivity to the transceiver (166) of the central computing system (144) may help simplify such integration by eliminating the need for certain connectivity wiring, and may also eliminate the need for power supply wiring in variants where the sensors are operably coupled to a small power source, such as a battery, which may be rechargeable, for example, via wireless inductance. Thus, the A-pillar touch sensor (436) is shown operably coupled to a wireless transceiver (466), the pedal touch sensors (416, 418) are shown operably coupled to wireless transceivers (472, 470, respectively), the floor touch sensor (420) is shown operably coupled to a wireless transceiver (474), the seat base touch sensor (422) is shown operably coupled to a wireless transceiver (476), the seat back touch sensor (422) is shown operably coupled to a wireless transceiver (478), and the headrest touch sensor (426) is shown operably coupled to a wireless transceiver (479). The shifter assembly touch sensor (430) is shown operably coupled to a wireless transceiver (486), the center console touch sensor (428) is shown operably coupled to a wireless transceiver (484), the steering wheel touch sensor (432) is shown operably coupled to the wireless transceiver (482), and the dashboard (410) touch sensor (436) is shown operably coupled to a wireless transceiver (466), each of which is wirelessly connected (166) to the vehicle's central computing system (144).

[0075] Referring back to configurations such as that of FIG. 19A , touch-sensing aspects can be utilized to refine and / or enhance the perception of certain actions at a user's local workstation, and the value of having multiple sources of sensory data, such as with uncorrelated error configurations, for so-called "sensor fusion" capabilities is discussed. Referring to FIG. 25A , in one embodiment, a system featuring multiple sensing configurations (such as multiple sensing configurations with uncorrelated error sources) is initialized for use at a first location (488). The system may be configured to provide information regarding system operation to an operator through a user interface (490). Following one or more command inputs by the operator, the system may be configured to execute and provide feedback to the operator using a user interface that is based, at least in part, on the multiple sensing configurations (492). The system may be configured to optimize operation and feedback through sensor fusion techniques configured to exploit differences in information provided by the multiple sensing configurations (494).

[0076] 25B , referring to a system comprising an electromechanical arm or manipulator as described with reference to FIGS. 21A-21D , a robotic manipulator system featuring multiple sensing configurations (such as capacitive, resistive, RADAR, LIDAR, cameras, load sensors, strain or extension sensors, IMUs, and / or joint position sensor configurations, along with deformable permeable layer-based touch sensing with uncorrelated error sources) may be initialized for use at a first location (496). The system may be configured to provide information regarding system operation to an operator through a user interface (498). To utilize the robotic manipulator system for a task (such as picking an object from within a bottle) according to one or more command inputs by the operator, the system is configured to execute and provide feedback to the operator using a user interface based, at least in part, on the multiple sensing configurations (500). The system may be configured to optimize operation and feedback through sensor fusion techniques configured to take advantage of differences in information provided by multiple sensing arrangements (e.g., as a distal portion of a robotic manipulator system is navigated into the opening of a bottle, one sensor comprising multiple sensing arrangements may become occluded or temporarily become less reliable, while at the same time, at least one other of the multiple sensing arrangements, preferably having at least somewhat uncorrelated errors such as deformable permeable layer-based touch sensing, provides reliable information back to the system and operator) (502).

[0077] Referring back to FIG. 19B , integration of one or more touch-translation interfaces (398), such as on the wrist (13) of a user (4), can provide enhanced perception of activity and engagement at a remote location. FIG. 26 illustrates a configuration in which an operator interface (506) local to a user or operator may feature a computing system (144) interconnected (318) with each of a tactile interface (280), a display system (278), a 3D printer (276), and a touch-translation interface (504). The operator interface (506), located locally to the user, will generally be separated (640), such as by inches, feet, miles, or thousands of miles, from a remote operation system (such as a robotic arm 234, featuring a touch-sensing assembly 146 as illustrated in FIG. 26 ), depending on the user configuration, the task at hand, and connectivity alternatives (230, 166), such as wired or wireless connectivity. Referring to FIG. 27, in further illustrative detail, the operator interface (506) may comprise interconnected (400) computing (144), master input device / controller (280, tactile-enabled variant shown), 3D printing (276), and display (278) resources, as well as a touch-translation interface (398), such as the variant shown, that may be removably coupled to the wrist (13) of the user (4) and configured to provide one or more components of sensing that may be perceptually linked to activity at a remote location, as described in further detail below.

[0078] In various embodiments featuring one or more touch-translation interfaces in the operator interface (506), it may be desirable to position the one or more touch-translation interfaces at a location relative to the anatomy of the user (4) that has a certain kinematic relationship to the activity of components at the remote operation or actuation facility. For example, with reference to FIG. 28A , in an embodiment in which a robotic arm (234) is to be operated at the remote facility and the robotic arm (234) has a kinematic portion that resembles at least somewhat a “wrist,” the touch-sensing assembly (362) may be operatively coupled to a touch-translation interface in the interconnected operator interface (503) that may be detachably coupled to the wrist (13) of the user (4). In other words, this may enhance the intuitive level of interaction between the local user / operator and the remote robotic manipulator from the operator interface (503) if touch / touch sensed at the robot’s “wrist” is translated to the user’s wrist. Thus, in various embodiments, attempts may be made to provide at least somewhat kinematically similar pairings between remote locations and local touch sensing and transduction resources.

[0079] Referring again to FIG. 28A, it should also be emphasized that more than one touch sensing assembly may be integrated for a given implementation, such as an additional at least partially circumferential touch sensing assembly (360) positioned around the distal end of the robotic arm (234) at a peripheral location beside the touch sensor (146) and interconnected (232) with other, more proximal touch sensing assemblies (362) to the computing resource. Referring to FIG. 28B, in a somewhat kinematically similar functional pairing configuration, a more distal touch translation interface (508), such as a finger-sized cuff removably coupleable to an index finger, may be operably coupled (510), such as via wired or wireless connectivity, to a computing system and configured to translate touch or contact sensed at a more distal touch sensing assembly (360) positioned around the distal end of the robotic arm (234) at the remote location shown in FIG. 28A, and a more proximal touch sensing assembly (398) may be operably coupled (400), such as via wired or wireless connectivity, to a computing system to translate touch or contact sensed at a more proximal touch sensing assembly (362) positioned around the “wrist” of the robotic arm (234) at the remote location shown in FIG. 28A.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 29A , a grasper (518)-style end effector is illustrated with two opposing movable members (520, 522), which may be controllably advanced toward one another for grasping. In various embodiments, a touch-sensing assembly may be integrated into these opposing movable members (520, 522) and operably coupled to aid in the perception of actions associated therewith. Referring to FIG. 29B , a master input device arrangement (516) is configured to enable two opposing fingers of a user's hand (12) to remotely control grasping actions, such as those of a grasper device, such as that illustrated in FIG. 29A , in at least a partially kinematically similar manner (i.e., by moving the opposing fingers toward one another, the opposing movable members 520, 522 may be moved toward one another).

[0081] Referring to Figures 29C and 29D, multiple removably coupleable touch conversion interfaces (508, 512) may be operatively coupled to a computing system (510, 514, respectively), such as via wired or wireless connectivity, which may be operatively coupled to a remote instrument, such as the grasper (518) illustrated in Figure 29A, to provide enhanced intuitiveness for a user or operator (again, by moving opposing fingers toward each other, the opposing movable members 520, 522 may be moved toward each other, and touch / contact information detected by the touch sensing assembly at the opposing movable members 520, 522 may be utilized as input to sensations created for the user at the touch conversion interfaces 508, 512). FIG. 29C illustrates an embodiment in which the touch conversion interface (508, 512) is removably coupled to a user's index finger (526) and middle finger (528), while FIG. 29D illustrates an embodiment in which the touch conversion interface (508, 512) is removably coupled to a user's index finger (526) and thumb (524).

[0082] Referring to FIG. 30A, a touch conversion interface (398) removably coupleable to a user (4) is illustrated along with an operative coupling to a computing system (144), such as via wired or wireless connectivity (400, 230, 166). The touch conversion interface (398) may comprise a single touch conversion element, or, as shown, multiple (530) touch conversion elements, to help provide the user (4) with an enhanced perception of touch and / or contact with an interconnected touch sensing assembly. Referring to FIGS. 30B-33B, various types, combinations, and permutations of touch conversion elements may be utilized in various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 30B, an unbalanced electric motor (532) may be utilized as the touch conversion element to provide vibration and variable frequency touch conversion. Referring to FIG. 30C, a light-emitting diode ("LED") (534) may be utilized as the touch transduction element to provide a visual indication to the user that contact or touch has occurred; the output brightness may be varied according to the magnitude of the touch or contact load, and various colors / wavelengths may be utilized. Referring to FIG. 30D, a piezoelectric assembly (536) may be utilized as the touch transduction element to provide a relatively high-frequency vibration response according to contact or touch; the frequency and / or intensity may be varied according to the magnitude of the touch or contact load. Referring to FIG. 30E, an auditory speaker assembly (538) may be utilized as the touch transduction element to provide an audible response according to contact or touch; the frequency and / or intensity may be varied according to the magnitude of the touch or contact load. Referring to FIGS. 30F and 30G, one or more so-called "shape memory alloy" ("SMA") segments (540) may be utilized as the touch transduction element, comprising an alloy material such as nickel / titanium.As shown in chart (544) of FIG. 30G, for example, commercially available SMA alloys can be configured to shrink in size quite dramatically (such as in the range shown at 542 in FIG. 30F, which shrinks to half its cold length when heated through an electrical current), and therefore, when formed into a hoop or cuff-type configuration, for example, as shown in the variations illustrated in FIGS. 32A and 32B, may be utilized to controllably apply and / or relieve gentle hoop stresses and / or hoop strains.

[0083] 31A , a touch conversion interface 398 operably coupled 400 to a computing system, such as via a wired or wireless communication arrangement, may be removably coupled to a user 4 at, such as at, the wrist 13, and may include a controllably actuable tactile actuator motor, such as an unbalanced motor 532. Referring to FIG. 31B , a touch conversion interface 398 operably coupled 400 to a computing system, such as via a wired or wireless communication arrangement, may be removably coupled to a user 4 at, such as at, the wrist 13, and may include one or more LEDs 534. Referring to FIG. 31C , a touch conversion interface 398 operably coupled 400 to a computing system, such as via a wired or wireless communication arrangement, may be removably coupled to a user 4 at, such as at, the wrist 13, and may include a controllably actuable piezoelectric assembly 536. Referring to Figure 31D, a touch-conversion interface (398) operably coupled (400) to a computing system, such as via a wired or wireless communication arrangement, may be removably coupled to a user (4), such as at the wrist (13), and may include a controllably actuatable auditory speaker assembly (538). Referring to Figure 31E, a touch-conversion interface (398) operably coupled (400) to a computing system, such as via a wired or wireless communication arrangement, may be removably coupled to a user (4), such as at the wrist (13), and may include one or more controllably actuatable shape memory alloy segments (540). Figures 32A and 32B illustrate that, when viewed from an orthographic view, a configuration such as that illustrated in Figure 31E may include a single SMA segment (540), as in the variation of Figure 32A, or multiple SMA segments (540, 546, 548, 550), each of which may be individually controllable.

[0084] Referring again to Figure 30A, the touch conversion interface may include multiple (530) touch conversion elements, which may be similar or different from one another. For example, referring to Figure 33A, a touch conversion interface (398) operably coupled (400) to a computing system, such as via a wired or wireless communication arrangement, may be removably coupled to a user (4), such as at the wrist (13), and may include three or more controllably actuable shape memory alloy segments (540, 552, 554) positioned longitudinally relative to one another as coupled into the touch conversion interface (398). FIG. 33B illustrates a configuration in which the touch conversion interface comprises a wide range of touch conversion elements, such as multiple SMA segments (540, 552, 554), multiple tactile motors (532, 533), multiple piezoelectric assemblies (536, 537), multiple auditory speaker assemblies (538, 539), and multiple LEDs (534, 535), each of which may be individually and / or independently actuated and controlled to provide an enhanced perception for the user at the local touch workstation.

[0085] Referring first to Figure 36, a surgical robot integrated configuration is illustrated and positioned at a touch-sensing enhanced operator workstation. An operator may utilize the surgical robot system at a remote location (640), such as across a room, across the country, or across the globe, separated from the operator workstation, and touch-translation elements may be utilized to enhance the operator's understanding of contacts, touches, and other activities at the remote location during surgical navigation and the movement of a robotic surgical end effector, such as a grasper (518), relative to a targeted portion (576) of a targeted tissue structure (572). As shown in Figure 36, the operator workstation may include one or more (530) element touch-translation interfaces (398) removably coupled to a portion of a user (4), such as the wrist (13), which may be configured to respond to contacts at the robotic instrument (594) wrist portion (582) touch-sensing assembly (360). The operator workstation may further include two additional touch-conversion interfaces (508, 512), which may be configured to respond to contacts at touch-sensing assemblies (602, 604) coupled to corresponding robot grasper counterparts (522, 520), respectively. The touch-conversion interfaces may be operably coupled (400, 510, 514, 230, 166) to the computing system (144), such as via wired or wireless connectivity. The touch-sensing assemblies may likewise be operably coupled (592, 606, 608, 230, 166) to the computing system (144), such as via wired or wireless connectivity.Thus, as the remotely controllable robotic instrument (594) is advanced and navigated toward the target portion (576) of the targeted tissue structure (572), the user (4) at the workstation may be provided with intuitive sensory cues regarding contact and touch between the side of the instrument and the side of the tissue, such as contact between the robotic instrument wrist (582) and the wall or edge (578) of the tissue structure (572) and contact between the robotic instrument grasper (518) members (520, 522) and the wall or edge (578, 576) of the tissue structure (572). Preferably, one or more image capture devices may be configured to capture one or more views (598) of the surgical scenario to be presented for the user (4) at the operator workstation, such as on a display (278), which may be operably coupled to the computing system (144), such as by wired or wireless connectivity.

[0086] 34 , a user at a local workstation has connectivity to a remote engagement configuration in the remote environment (556), such as an operably coupled robotic arm with one or more connected touch-sensitive surfaces to assist the user in physically engaging one or more aspects of the remote environment. The local workstation and the remote engagement configuration may be powered on, started up, and ready for remote touch engagement by the user (558). The user may operate a master input device at the local workstation (560), which is operably coupled to the remote engagement configuration (such as an operably coupled robotic arm in the remote environment) and physically engages one or more aspects of the remote environment (such as physically engaging the surface of an object in the remote environment). Through the local workstation, the user may be able to experience and understand aspects of the physical engagement between the remote engagement workstation and one or more aspects of the remote environment (such as by locally perceiving various levels of touch engagement in the remote environment through the local workstation; for example, a cuff touch sensor operably coupled to a distal portion of a robotic arm in the remote environment may be coupled to the user and configured to locally provide one or more modalities of remote touch-derived feedback, such as through a kinematically similar and / or intuitive local configuration of a local touch translation interface, may be configured to provide the user with an intuitive understanding of touch engagement in the remote environment) (562).

[0087] Referring to FIG. 37, a similar use of a touch translation interface and touch-based operator workstation can be utilized to help a user experience contact, touch, and related activities within a remote environment that is truly remote in that it is a virtual environment (612) (i.e., "real" only to the extent that it is created on a computer). For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 37, a user can utilize a tactile master input device (280) to navigate a mobile arm robot (622) virtual element around a virtual environment (612) that includes a virtual road (614), virtual walls (616) that define a cavity (618), and virtual aspects such as a virtual prize element (620) or objective, such as a game-based "pot of gold" element, that can be obtained or won by the user if the user is able to successfully virtually grasp the virtual prize element (620) using virtual grasper elements (628, 630) mounted on a virtual robot arm (626) that is mounted on a virtual mobile base (624) within the depicted virtual environment (612). The virtual touch-sensing elements (632, 634, 636) may be virtually coupled to the wrist portion of the virtual robot arm (626) and the virtual grasper elements (628, 630) and configured to function in providing a real user at the user workstation with a perception of touch or contact with the virtual robot structure relative to other aspects of the virtual environment (612), such as a portion of the virtual wall (616). In other words, when the user drives the virtual robot (622) so that the virtual grasper elements (628, 630) hit a portion of the virtual wall (616), such contact and / or intersection may be translated back to the touch translation interface (508, 512, 398) at the user workstation, which may help provide the user with an intuitive perception of their activity within the virtual environment (612).

[0088] 35 , a user at a local workstation has connectivity to a virtual remote engagement configuration in the virtual remote environment, such as an operably coupled virtual robotic arm with one or more connected virtual touch-sensitive surfaces to assist the user in physically engaging one or more aspects of the virtual remote environment (564). The local workstation and the virtual remote engagement configuration may be powered on, started up, and ready for virtual remote touch engagement by the user (566). The user may operate a master input device at the local workstation, which is operably coupled to the virtual remote engagement configuration (such as a virtual robotic arm operably coupled in the virtual remote environment), to physically engage one or more aspects of the virtual remote environment (such as virtually physically engaging the surface of an object in the virtual remote environment) (568). Through the local workstation, the user may be able to experience and understand aspects of the virtual physical engagement between the virtual remote engagement workstation and one or more aspects of the virtual remote environment (such as by locally perceiving various levels of virtual touch engagement in the virtual remote environment through the local workstation; for example, a cuff touch sensor virtually operably coupled to a distal portion of a virtual robotic arm in the virtual remote environment may be configured to provide the user with an intuitive understanding of the virtual touch engagement in the virtual remote environment through a local touch translation interface, etc., which may be coupled to the user and configured to locally provide one or more modalities of remote touch derived feedback, such as through a kinematically similar and / or intuitive local configuration of a local touch translation interface) (570).

[0089] Referring to Figure 38A, an orthographic view is shown featuring a bushing or at least partially cylindrical-type touch sensing assembly (656), which may be fixedly or removably coupled to a structural element, such as a shaft member (654) of a machine or machine component, desirably understood in terms of a load configuration during operation. For illustrative purposes, the touch sensing assembly (656) is shown with the shaft member (654) mounted on the top surface (670) of the table (652), and the interface (726) between the touch sensing assembly (656) and the shaft member (654) may generally be joined to prevent relative movement during load. The touch sensing assembly (656) may be operably coupled (658, 230, 166) to a computing system (144), such as via a wired or wireless coupling, and may include multiple imaging devices (106) and sources (116). In operation, when the shaft member (654) is subjected to loads such as reciprocating bending (662, 660), portions of the touch sensing assembly (656) may be placed under compression, tension, shear, and the like, and such loads may be detected and characterized in a computing system using associated imaging devices (106) and sources (116) that may be placed within sectors (e.g., four pairings are shown around the perimeter of the touch sensing assembly 656). A side view of a similar configuration is illustrated in FIG. 38B.

[0090] Figure 38C illustrates a configuration somewhat similar to that of Figure 38B, but with the addition of a structural cap member (668), which may be configured to constrain the touch sensing assembly (656) to the junction of the structural cap member (668) and the shaft member (654). With such a configuration, the cylindrical touch sensing assembly (656) may be placed under more pure compression or tension as the shaft member (654) bends (662, 660).

[0091] Referring to Figure 38D, a configuration somewhat similar to that of Figure 38C is illustrated, but with a solid cylindrical touch sensing assembly (672) that forms a cylindrical base or pad to which the structural cap (668) and shaft (654) end can be mounted (i.e., the shaft shown in Figure 38D does not cross through the cylindrical touch sensing assembly 672). Such a configuration also facilitates the cylindrical touch sensing assembly (672) to detect not only bending (662, 660) type loads, but also tensile or compressive loads (667, 664) on the shaft member (654), generally allowing for characterization of a very wide range of loading paradigms within the associated structural member (654) depending on the source / imaging device (such as 116 / 106 in Figure 38A).

[0092] With reference to FIG. 38E, it is important to note that the sensor and / or emitter portions may be placed in direct contact with the optical element material of the touch sensing assembly (656), as in the configuration of FIG. 38A, or may be placed in a more remote location through the use of configurations such as fibers or bundles thereof (132, 138) for operably coupling to another location, such as the illustrated emission detection controller (734) module (730, 732, which are operably coupled to the computing system 144 and power source 102), which may contain interfaces (764, 766) configured to efficiently transport light or other radiation to and from one or more sources and one or more image capture devices that may be housed therein.

[0093] 38F, to aid in the elimination of tethers and wired connections, such as in cyclic torsional loading (758) scenarios about an axis (760) in mechanical applications, various aspects of the present system configuration may be coupled to the mechanical portion and connected wirelessly to avoid various tether-based limitations. For example, referring to FIG. 38F, a module or housing (742) may contain interconnected (752, 754) power supply (744), battery charger (748), and computer / controller (746) elements, which may be a computing device (144) interconnected (756) to a touch sensing assembly (656) and located more remotely via wireless connectivity (167, 166). A motion-based charger (748) featuring a small mass (750) configured to oscillate and provide a low level of current based on the oscillatory motion of an associated shaft (654) may be configured to continuously charge the battery (744); for example, the mass (750) may be configured to move magnetic material in an oscillatory manner through one or more coils, or may be configured to use shaft motion to load a piezoelectric member (via angular acceleration and velocity squared / radius relationships, etc.) and provide a low level of charging current for the battery (744).

[0094] Referring to Figure 39, a configuration somewhat similar to that of Figure 36 is illustrated with the addition of small touch-sensing assembly pads (678, 680) interconnected (674, 676, 230, 166) to a computing system (144), such as via wired or wireless connectivity, and providing further characterization of the opposing grasper elements of the grasper tool (582) in a manner similar to that described above with respect to Figure 38D.

[0095] 40 , a user plans to perform a medical procedure on a patient using an electromechanical system, such as a robot, configured with an interventional tool, such as a grasper, that features one or more deformable permeable layers and is integrated with one or more touch sensors (690). The user may start and calibrate the system using a computing system operably coupled between the electromechanical system and a user workstation (692). The user may be able to navigate the interventional tool toward the patient's anatomy from a workstation that may be positioned near or remote from the patient, the workstation comprising a display system configured to display aspects of the environment surrounding the interventional tool, a control interface, such as a tactile interface, that assists the user in providing commands to the interventional tool, and a touch-translation interface operably coupled to the interventional tool and configured to provide input to the user in response to contact or touches detected at one or more touch sensors (694). The user may utilize the control interface to perform one or more aspects of the medical procedure with the interventional tool, contacting the targeted tissue structure of the patient, while obtaining and / or perceiving information about the environment adjacent to the interventional tool, such as contact between the interventional tool and the targeted tissue structure, which may be perceived and / or observed by utilizing aspects of the user workstation, such as the display system, the control interface, and / or the touch translation interface (696). The user may complete the medical procedure, or a portion thereof, by retracting the interventional tool away from the targeted tissue structure and the patient through use of the user workstation (698).

[0096] 41 , a user may plan to perform a procedure on a virtual environment, such as a video game, using a virtual electromechanical system, such as a virtual robot, which may be configured to have a virtual tool, such as a grasper, integrated with one or more virtual touch sensors, which may be operably coupled to one or more touch-conversion interfaces (702). The user may start and calibrate the system using a computing system operably coupled between the virtual electromechanical system and a user workstation (704). The user may be able to navigate the virtual tool toward a virtual target from the workstation, which may be located near or remote from the patient, and which includes a display system configured to display aspects of the environment around the virtual tool, a control interface, such as a tactile interface, to help the user provide commands to the virtual tool, and a touch-conversion interface operably coupled to the virtual tool, which may be configured to provide input to the user in response to contact or touches detected at one or more virtual touch sensors (706). The user may utilize the control interface and, with the virtual tool, contact one or more virtual objects to perform one or more aspects of the desired virtual tool movement while obtaining and / or perceiving information about the environment adjacent to the virtual tool, such as contact between the virtual tool and one or more virtual objects, which may be perceived and / or observed by utilizing aspects of the user workstation, such as the display system, the control interface, and / or the touch translation interface (708). The user may complete the procedure, or a portion thereof, by virtually retracting the virtual tool away from one or more virtual objects through use of the user workstation (710).

[0097] 42 , a user may plan to perform a medical procedure on a patient using an interventional tool, such as a grasper, that features one or more deformable, permeable layers and is integrated with one or more touch sensors, and an electromechanical system, such as a robot, that is configured to have one or more control sensors that may also feature one or more deformable, permeable layers (714). The user may start and calibrate the system using a computing system operably coupled between the electromechanical system and a user workstation (716). The user may be able to navigate the interventional tool toward the patient's anatomy from a workstation that may be positioned near or remote from the patient, the workstation comprising a display system configured to display aspects of the environment surrounding the interventional tool, a control interface, such as a tactile interface, that assists the user in providing commands to the interventional tool, and a touch-translation interface that may be configured to provide input to the user in response to contact or touches detected at one or more touch sensors operably coupled to the interventional tool (718). The user may utilize the control interface to contact the targeted tissue structure of the patient with the interventional tool and perform one or more aspects of the medical procedure while obtaining and / or perceiving information about the environment adjacent to the interventional tool, such as contact between the interventional tool and the targeted tissue structure, which may be perceived and / or observed by utilizing aspects of the user workstation, such as the display system, the control interface, and / or the touch translation interface (720). The user may complete the medical procedure, or a portion thereof, by retracting the interventional tool away from the targeted tissue structure and the patient through use of the user workstation (722).

[0098] Referring to FIG. 43 , a mechanical system may include a structural member, such as a shaft, beam, or elongated member, which may be loaded in bending, tension, and / or shear, etc., during operation of the mechanical system, which may be coupled to a sensing assembly comprising a deformable permeable layer (770). The sensing assembly may be operatively coupled to a computing system and an imaging device such that at least one mode of load and / or deformation of the structural member may be monitored using the computing system (772). The sensing assembly and computing system may be initialized, calibrated, and / or configured to sense one or more aspects of the structural member during operation of the mechanical system (774). The computing system may be configured to provide output for an operator regarding real-time or near-real-time load configurations of the mechanical system, such as load data regarding the structural member, which may be displayed to the operator, and / or an indication for the operator that one or more predetermined load thresholds have been approached or met within the mechanical system (776). The computing system may further be configured to facilitate a change in the operation of the mechanical system, such as a reduction in load demand or a shutdown of one or more aspects of the mechanical system, when the computing system determines that an overload condition is met, such as by comparing the output from the sensing assembly to one or more predetermined load thresholds (778).

[0099] Referring to FIG. 44 , a vehicle such as an automobile may include one or more structural components, such as one or more chassis and / or support structures, which may be loaded in bending, tension, and / or shear, etc., during operation of the vehicle, which may be coupled to one or more sensing assemblies comprising one or more deformable permeable layers (780). The one or more sensing assemblies may be operatively coupled to a computing system and one or more imaging devices such that at least one mode of load and / or deformation of the one or more structural components may be monitored using the computing system (782). The one or more sensing assemblies and computing system may be initialized, calibrated, and / or configured to sense one or more aspects of the one or more structural components during operation of the one or more structural components and vehicle (784). The computing system may be configured to provide output for an operator regarding real-time or near-real-time load configurations of the one or more structural components, such as load data, which may be displayed to the operator and / or utilized to create an indication for the operator that one or more predetermined load thresholds have been approached or met for the one or more structural components (786). The computing system may further be configured to facilitate a change in the operation of one or more structural and / or other components of the vehicle, such as a reduction in load demand or shutdown of one or more operably coupled systems, components, or subsystems, when the computing system determines that an overload condition is met, such as by comparing the output from the one or more sensing assemblies to one or more predetermined load thresholds (788).

[0100] Referring to FIG. 45 , a mechanical system may include a structural member, such as a shaft, beam, or elongated member, which may be loaded in bending, tension, and / or shear, etc., during operation of the mechanical system, which may be coupled to a sensing base assembly (790) comprising a deformable permeable layer. The sensing base assembly may be operatively coupled to a computing system and an imaging device (792) such that at least one mode of load and / or deformation of the structural member may be monitored using the computing system. The sensing base assembly and computing system may be initialized, calibrated, and / or configured to sense one or more aspects of the structural member during operation of the mechanical system (794). The computing system may be configured to provide output for an operator regarding real-time or near-real-time load configurations of the mechanical system, such as load data regarding the structural member, which may be displayed to the operator, and / or an indication for the operator that one or more predetermined load thresholds have been approached or met within the mechanical system (796). The computing system may further be configured to facilitate a change in the operation of the mechanical system, such as a reduction in load demand or shutdown of one or more aspects of the mechanical system, when the computing system determines that an overload condition is met, such as by comparing the output from the sensing base assembly to one or more predetermined load thresholds (798).

[0101] 46 , a user at a local workstation may have connectivity to a remote engagement configuration within the telemedical intervention environment, such as an operably coupled medical robotic arm with one or more connected touch-sensitive surfaces to assist the user in physically engaging one or more aspects of the telemedical intervention environment (802). The local workstation and the remote engagement configuration may be powered on, started up, and ready for telemedical touch engagement by the user (804). The user may operate a master input device at the local workstation, which is operably coupled to the remote engagement configuration (such as an operably coupled medical robotic arm in the remote environment), to physically engage one or more aspects of the remote environment (such as physically engaging the surface of an object in the remote environment, such as a targeted tissue structure) (806). Through the local workstation, the user may be able to experience and understand aspects of the physical engagement between the remote engagement workstation and one or more aspects of the remote environment (e.g., by locally perceiving various levels of touch engagement in the remote environment through the local workstation; e.g., a cuff touch sensor operably coupled to a distal portion of a medical robotic arm within the remote environment may be configured to provide the user with an intuitive understanding of touch engagement in the remote environment through a local touch translation interface, etc., which may be coupled to the user and configured to locally provide one or more modalities of remote touch-derived feedback, such as through a kinematically similar and / or intuitive local configuration of a local touch translation interface) (808).

[0102] 47 , a user at a local workstation may have connectivity to a remote engagement configuration within the telemedical intervention environment, such as an operably coupled medical robotic arm with one or more connected touch-sensitive surfaces, to assist the user in controlling the remote engagement configuration and physically engaging one or more aspects of the telemedical intervention environment (810). The local workstation and remote engagement configuration may be powered on, started, and ready for telemedical touch engagement by the user (812). The user may operate a master input device at the local workstation, which is operably coupled to the remote engagement configuration (such as an operably coupled medical robotic arm in the remote environment), to physically engage one or more aspects of the remote environment (such as physically engaging the surface of an object in the remote environment, such as a targeted tissue structure) within one or more predetermined load limits, which may be monitored for one or more loads applied on one or more connected touch-sensitive surfaces (814). Through the local workstation, the user may be able to experience and understand aspects of the physical engagement between the remote engagement workstation and one or more aspects of the remote environment (such as by locally perceiving various levels of touch engagement in the remote environment through the local workstation; for example, a cuff touch sensor operably coupled to a distal portion of a medical robotic arm in the remote environment may be configured to provide the user with an intuitive understanding of touch engagement in the remote environment, such as through a local touch translation interface that may be coupled to the user and configured to locally provide one or more modalities of remote touch-derived feedback, such as through a kinematically similar and / or intuitive local configuration of a local touch translation interface), and physically engage aspects of the telemedical intervention environment within one or more predetermined load limits that may be monitored for one or more loads applied on one or more connected touch-sensitive surfaces (816).

[0103] Referring to FIG. 48, an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 29C is shown to illustrate a hybrid configuration of both touch sensing and touch conversion for each of two fingers (index finger 526, middle finger 528), with the addition of cuff-style touch sensing interfaces (822, 820; e.g., similar to those 360, 362 described above with reference to FIG. 18C) that are removably coupled to the fingers and operably coupled (826, 824) to a computing system, such as via wired or wireless connectivity (510, 514), and a touch conversion interface (508, 512) may be removably coupled to each finger for kinematically similar feedback, e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 29C. Such a configuration may not only provide the user with one or more sensations intuitively related to activity in an interconnected system, such as a remotely located robotic grasper, but may also be configured and operated to provide the interconnected computing system with further information regarding the local activity of the user's finger (e.g., the touch-sensing interface (822, 820) may be utilized to sense an increase or decrease in associated hoop stress or hoop strain that may be correlated with the finger's actuation, activity, movement, or intent, as well as contact between the finger and another object).

[0104] Thus, with reference to FIG. 49, an illustrative variation is shown in which configurations such as that described above with reference to FIG. 48 may be employed. Referring to FIG. 49, a user at a local workstation may have connectivity to a remote engagement configuration in the remote environment (830), such as an operably coupled robotic arm with one or more connected touch-sensitive surfaces to assist the user in physically engaging one or more aspects of the remote environment. The local workstation and remote engagement configuration may be powered on, started up, and ready for remote and local touch engagement by the user (832). The user may operate a master input device and a local touch-sensing configuration at the local workstation, both of which are operably coupled through a computing system to the remote engagement configuration (such as an operably coupled robotic arm in the remote environment) and may physically engage one or more aspects of the remote environment (such as physically engaging the surface of an object in the remote environment) (834). Through the local workstation, the user's touch activity may be sensed and aid in the operation of the remote engagement arrangement, and the user may be able to experience and understand aspects of the physical engagement between the remote engagement workstation and one or more aspects of the remote environment (e.g., by locally perceiving various levels of touch engagement in the remote environment through the local workstation; e.g., a cuff touch sensor operably coupled to a distal portion of a robotic arm within the remote environment may be coupled to the user and configured to locally provide one or more modalities of remote touch-derived feedback, such as through a kinematically similar and / or intuitive local arrangement of a local touch translation interface, may be configured to provide the user with an intuitive understanding of touch engagement in the remote environment) (836).

[0105] Referring to FIG. 50, a configuration similar to that of FIG. 49 is illustrated, but in which an operator / user may operate within a synthetic or virtual environment utilizing a similar hybrid local interface. Referring to FIG. 50, a user at a local workstation may have connectivity to a virtual remote engagement configuration within the virtual remote environment (840), such as an operably coupled virtual robotic arm with one or more connected virtual touch-sensitive surfaces to assist the user in physically engaging one or more aspects of the virtual remote environment. The local workstation and virtual remote engagement configuration may be powered on, started, and ready for virtual remote touch engagement by the user (842). The user may operate a master input device and a local touch-sensing configuration at the local workstation, both of which are operably coupled to the virtual remote engagement configuration (such as an operably coupled virtual robotic arm within the virtual remote environment) and may physically engage one or more aspects of the virtual remote environment (such as virtually physically engaging the surface of an object within the virtual remote environment) (844). Through the local workstation, touch activity related to the user may be sensed and aid in the operation of the virtual remote engagement configuration, and the user may be able to experience and understand aspects of the virtual physical engagement between the virtual remote engagement workstation and one or more aspects of the virtual remote environment (e.g., by locally perceiving various levels of virtual touch engagement in the virtual remote environment through the local workstation; e.g., a cuff touch sensor virtually operably coupled to a distal portion of a virtual robotic arm within the virtual remote environment may be coupled to the user and configured to locally provide one or more modalities of remote touch derived feedback, such as through a kinematically similar and / or intuitive local configuration of a local touch translation interface, may be configured to provide the user with an intuitive understanding of the virtual touch engagement in the virtual remote environment) (846).

[0106] Referring to Figure 51A, a system configuration similar to that described with reference to Figure 7A is illustrated in which a touch sensing assembly (146) featuring a deformable permeable layer (110) is configured to be placed in contact with the surface of an object to be characterized. In various embodiments, it may be useful to have a planar or semi-planar deformable permeable layer (110), such as in scenarios in which it is desired to observe and characterize the surface of a banknote placed on a flat table or perhaps the fingerprint pattern of a finger pressed against the deformable permeable layer. Referring to Figure 51B, for comparison purposes, a smaller version of the touch sensing assembly (146) configuration of Figure 51A is shown. Depending on the particular scenario, it may be desirable to have a touch sensing assembly (146) featuring a deformable permeable layer having an unloaded shape other than the planar or semi-planar shapes described above. For example, referring to FIG. 51C, a touch sensing assembly (146) is shown having an arcuate deformable permeable layer (1020), which may be useful in addressing arcuate or concave surfaces. FIGs. 51D and 51E illustrate variations featuring a deformable permeable layer shape that may be, for example, an ellipsoid (1022) or a hemisphere (1024). FIGs. 51F and 51G illustrate variations featuring a deformable permeable layer shape that may be a hemi-ellipsoid or approximately hemisphere (1026, 1028) with a proximal elongated portion, as shown. Configurations such as those illustrated in FIGs. 51F and 51G may be useful for inspecting and / or characterizing surfaces that may be, for example, concave or cylindrical.51H and 51I, the touch sensing assembly (146) may be configured with an expandable conduit or bladder such that it may be inserted and engage a surface, such as a hole or cylindrical surface, in a smaller and more elongated insertion configuration (i.e., a configuration in which the inflation conduit or bladder is relatively uninflated, such as with a gas or liquid) (1030), as shown in FIG. 51H, and then, once in position for measurement and / or surface characterization, the deformable permeable layer may be increased in volume (i.e., a configuration in which the inflation conduit or bladder is relatively inflated, such as via positive pressure of a gas or liquid) (1032) so that it may be pressed against the surrounding targeted surface for measurement and / or surface characterization, and then may be deflated again, returned to the minimum configuration (1030), and removed. Using knowledge of the elastic modulus of the deformable permeable layer material along with high-precision deflection information about the surface, the interface load may similarly be characterized. Indeed, with knowledge of the properties of the deformable permeable layer material, various properties of the interfaced material can similarly be determined by using specific loading patterns at the interface. For example, in one embodiment, the response of the targeted surface detected through the deformable permeable layer can be used to estimate, measure, and / or determine aspects of the structural modulus of the interfaced structure, as well as the static and / or kinetic coefficients of friction (i.e., by detecting the interface load before slippage occurs upon load application and as it transitions to kinetic coefficients upon continued load application after the initial slippage). In addition to sliding, rolling-type deformable permeable layers, such as those comprising cylindrical or partially cylindrical deformable permeable layers, may also be used. Such configurations may be used to capture data as the rolled deformable permeable layer is rolled along the targeted surface in a preferred rolling direction as dictated by the rolling degrees of freedom of the rollable deformable permeable layer (i.e., as in roll painting with a paint roller), and / or the roller may be slid in another direction (i.e., in a manner that would rub the paint roller in a direction not aligned with the preferred rolling direction of the paint roller against the wall).

[0107] The radii of curvature of the deformable permeable layers (1020, 1022, 1024, 1026, 1028, 1030, 1032) as shown in Figures 51C-51I may be configured to address the particular application of interest. For example, in various embodiments, the radii of curvature may be selected to match, at least in part, the radius of curvature of the targeted surface, as discussed above. In other embodiments, relatively small radii of curvature, such as within a range of about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm, may be utilized to help effectively characterize the location of a point in space. In other embodiments, the deformable permeable layer may comprise relatively high modulus or stiffness portions (such as relatively small spherical or cuboid portions within a larger deformable permeable layer) located at known XY locations within a larger deformable permeable layer to provide effective point sensor functionality at the known points.

[0108] 52, a configuration similar to that described with reference to FIG. 11 is illustrated with a touch sensing assembly (146), such as that illustrated with reference to FIGS. 51A-51I, coupled to an electromechanical arm (234), such as a robotic arm, that can be actively controlled, such as via drive commands from a user or via drive commands from a software-based controller. The arm (234) can be utilized to controllably and precisely position and orient the touch sensing assembly (146) using active electromechanical navigation and / or movement (such as via interconnected motors) so that a surface (1034), which can be supported by a mounting or substrate (1036), can be characterized using the touch sensing assembly (146).

[0109] 53, a configuration similar to that of FIG. 52 is illustrated, but rather than having active electromechanical movement provided by an associated articulated arm, the arm may be configured to be pulled for positioning and orientation by a user using one or more handles (1040, 1041), and the joints of the arm may be electromechanically braked such that the user may command brakes (1038) to maintain a position and / or orientation in space (in other words, the arm may be configured to be clutched and disengaged to facilitate manual movement by the user with the handles). The braked joints (1038) may have joint position sensors, such as optical encoders, configured to assist in determining joint position for determining the overall position and orientation of the touch sensing assembly (146) relative to a global coordinate system, etc.

[0110] Referring to FIG. 54, a configuration similar to that of FIG. 53 is shown, but with a passive (i.e., undamped) joint (1042) so that a user can pull the touch sensing assembly (146) around in space and manually engage it with a surface (1034), while the joint position of the arm can be utilized to track the position and / or orientation of the touch sensing assembly (146) relative to a global coordinate system, etc.

[0111] With reference to FIG. 55 , the configuration is illustrated without a support arm so that it may be manually held in a fixed position / or orientation by an operator or user, such as by using handles (1040, 1041) coupled to the touch-sensing assembly (146), coupled to the main housing (1044), or the like. With reference to previously associated FIG. 56 , to aid in tracking the position and / or orientation of the touch-sensing assembly (146) in space relative to the surface of interest (1034) and / or the global coordinate system (1050), one or more tracking systems (1046) may be operatively coupled to the computing device (104), such as via a wired or wireless connection (1048), to aid in such position and / or orientation determination. For example, in various embodiments, an optical tracking configuration may be utilized, using, for example, tracking fiducials mounted on the housing (1044) or the touch-sensing assembly (146) and detectors, such as stereo detector-based configurations (such as those available from Northern Digital, Inc.), including 3D tracking systems. Similarly, electromagnetic tracking systems, such as those available from Ascension, Inc., may be utilized for tracking relative to, for example, a global coordinate system (1050). Indeed, with reference to FIG. 57, such tracking systems (1046) may be utilized in addition to kinematic-based tracking configurations (such as those that may employ arm 234). Further, with reference to FIG. 58, for example, an arrangement having several components in common with FIG. 13A is illustrated, and also includes tracking components, such as those illustrated in FIG. 57, for use in tracking and / or determining position and / or orientation relative to, for example, a global coordinate system (1050). The illustrated imaging or image capture devices (270, 272) may comprise various detector types and may be utilized in stereo configurations, along with texture projectors, to assist in depth and other characterization, as well as to address occlusions (i.e., by being positioned at different viewpoint vectors toward the target surface), which may occur at various positions and / or orientations of assembly (146).Additionally, as described above, an image capture device resident within the touch-sensing assembly (146) may also be utilized for image capture through the deformable permeable layer. The capture of various images and / or data points may be triggered in a variety of ways, such as manually by an operator (by control interface actuation, through buttons, software, voice activation, remotely connected device triggers, and the like) and / or automatically, such as via force limits, determined geometric or measured limits, or based on optical system or image capture device focus limits.

[0112] Referring to Figure 59A, a configuration similar to that of Figure 58 is illustrated in a scenario in which a touch-sensing assembly (146) is positioned and oriented to characterize various aspects of a mechanical portion (1126) of an engine block being manufactured. In various embodiments, an articulated arm (234) may be utilized to position and / or orient the touch-sensing assembly (146) in various positions and orientations so that the surface of the engine block (1126) may be characterized. Additionally, a model of the engine block, such as an idealized "as-design" computer-aided design ("CAD") model, may be stored on a storage device or system (1052), which may be operatively coupled to the computing system (144), such as via wired or wireless connectivity (1054), and this model may be utilized in analyzing and observing the mechanical portion (1126) of the engine block being inspected with the touch-sensing assembly (146), such as through comparison to the ideal model. In various embodiments, the model may be brought into registration with the position and orientation of the observed version, such as through collecting a sequence of points and / or surfaces and determining a registration match, and measurements may then be taken of the actual part to determine conformance with the ideal model, e.g., for quality assurance purposes. Indeed, in various embodiments, a digitally represented version of the ideal model may be displayed to illustrate variations, defects (e.g., geometric variations, more subtle issues such as scratches, and the like), and / or deviations from the ideal model (i.e., if a part is shown to be straight in the ideal model but is bent in the measured model, it may be shown as bent in the digitally represented version and visually highlighted as a deviation in an associated display interface, such as through distinctive coloring).

[0113] Referring to FIG. 59B, a configuration similar to that of FIG. 59A is illustrated with the addition of an operably coupled measurement system (1120) and measurement probe (1118). The measurement probe (1118) may be configured to provide point determinations in addition to (i.e., in parallel with, etc.) information gathered by other integrated system components (146, 234, 144, etc.). A suitable measurement probe (1118) may also be referred to as a “touch probe,” “coordinate measuring machine probe,” or “CMM probe” (“CMM” generally refers to a coordinate measuring machine, which may feature a measurement probe and be configured to provide measurements utilizing such a probe). The measurement system may be operably coupled to a computing device (144), such as via wired or wireless connectivity (1122).

[0114] With reference to FIG. 60A , it may be desirable to have a convenient interface for mechanically and / or electromechanically interfacing the touch sensing assembly (146) and associated hardware to the arm (234). A set of detachable coupling interfaces (1056, 1058) may be configured so that they can be securely pressed together and locked during operation (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 60B, 60C, and 60D) and then conveniently uncoupled at a later time, returning to the state shown in FIG. 60A . With reference to FIG. 60E , an interface configuration such as one of the mating pair (1056, 1058) is illustrated, having multiple protruding features (1060, 1062) and one or more hollow features (1064), as well as electronic engagement features (e.g., power leads may be passed by contacts through interface 1066, and information I / O interfaces may be passed by contacts through interface 1068). Opposing / facing interfaces (e.g., protruding members configured to fit within the illustrated cavity 1064, which in turn is configured to precisely engage the illustrated protruding members 1060, 1062) may be conveniently releasably interconnected with a known relative orientation. When desired, to retain the engagement of the mechanical and electrical (1066, 1068) interfaces, a screw (1070) may be rotated with a handle (1072) for temporary fixation during coupling (i.e., to thread into and secure against an inserted protruding member mated to the illustrated cavity 1064). FIG. 60D illustrates an electronic and / or power coupling (232) passing across the releasable engagement.

[0115] Referring to FIGS. 61A-61C, an intermediate adapter member (1057) may be utilized to accommodate a connection between two interfaces, which may not be designed to mate with each other (in other words, if A is not designed to mate with C, then adapter 1057 may be configured to provide a detachable connection by allowing one side of the adapter to be coupled to A and another side of the adapter to be coupled to C, i.e., A-(AB / BC)-C, where the "AB / BC" portion of this simple expression is adapter (1057).

[0116] 61D-61F, one or more variations of the structural or mounting member (358) may be utilized to demonstrate that a removably coupleable or detachable configuration (such as that shown in a detached configuration in FIGS. 60A, 60B, 61A, 61B, and 61F) designed for handheld use, if desired, may be instrumented in a manner similar to that illustrated with reference to attached variations (e.g., FIGS. 58, 59A-B, etc.) to enhance operational capabilities relative to targeted surfaces and / or structures. For example, with reference to FIGS. 61D and 61E, sensing assembly (146) is shown still coupled to a support structure, such as a robotic arm (234). The variation of Figure 61D has a more proximal mounting member (358) coupled to the main housing (1044), which has coupled thereto the image capture device (272), the LIDAR device (274), and the inertial measurement unit (IMU 1119; which may comprise one or more accelerometers and one or more gyroscopes, for example, to help sense linear and angular acceleration. A counter operating handle (1040) may be utilized to mount or couple additional image capture devices (270) and measurement probes (1118), as described above, so that the touch-sensitive interface of the sensing assembly (146) can be manually or automatically monitored and / or positioned relative to other objects, such as targeted surfaces. The embodiments of Figures 61E and 61F depict similar instruments, but with a mounting structure (358) that brings the instruments (270, 272, 274, 1119, 1118) closer to the touch-sensitive interface of the sensing assembly (146) using direct coupling of the mounting structure (358) to the sensing assembly (146). Figure 61F depicts a distal portion that is handheld and decoupled from the proximal support robotic arm (234) of Figure 61E so that it may be freely movable in space relative to other objects, while also being trackable using the instruments (e.g., 270, 272, 274, 1119, 1118).For example, the embodiment of Figure 61E or 61F may be electromechanically moved (61E) or manually moved (61F) and utilized to perform tactile analysis of a targeted object within the reach of the sensing assembly (146), e.g., via individual touch / contact vectors or approaches, by repeated patterns of adjacent touches / contacts, via predetermined patterns (e.g., of adjacent touches / contacts), or using a simultaneous localization and mapping ("SLAM") approach, e.g., via a more exploratory series of approaches to locate and characterize one or more geometric features that cannot traditionally be characterized (e.g., below a hole or opening, or inside a defect, or a surface or feature that is very difficult to access or image, etc.). In various embodiments, an operably coupled computing system may be configured and utilized to stitch geometrically adjacent geometric profiles together using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations, and / or to present to a user a two- or three-dimensional mapping of one or more geometric profiles relative to one another in a global coordinate system, etc., using a graphical user interface.

[0117] Referring to FIG. 62 , in one embodiment, a user desires to utilize a sensing system to engage a surface, which may be convex, concave, saddle-shaped, cylindrical, or more complex or simple, and the system may be calibrated and positioned proximate to the targeted surface (1080). The user may navigate the sensing surface toward the targeted surface (1082), such as via an electromechanical arm or robotic manipulator, using feedback to the user regarding the position and orientation of the sensing surface provided by the positioning platform (inverse kinematics, load cells, deflection sensors, joint positions, etc.). As the sensing surface is navigated closer to the targeted surface, integrated sensing capabilities may facilitate detection of the targeted surface and features (e.g., the system may be configured so that the integrated camera and LIDAR first detect the targeted surface, followed by other integrated sensing capabilities, which may be configured for sensing associated with closer engagement) (1084). The system may be configured to specifically create an event of contact between the sensing surface and the targeted surface (e.g., repositioning and reorienting of the sensing surface may be slowed, and auditory, visual, and / or tactile cues may be utilized to communicate the contact) (1086). The system may be configured to conform to the targeted surface, utilize a deformable permeable layer, characterize the surface, and store information about the characterized targeted surface, such as its geometric profile, location, and / or orientation relative to a global or other coordinate system, etc. (1088).

[0118] Referring to FIG. 63 , in one embodiment, a user desires to utilize a sensing system to engage a surface, which may be convex, concave, saddle-shaped, cylindrical, or more complex or simple, and the system may be calibrated and positioned proximate to the targeted surface (1080). The user may navigate the sensing surface toward the targeted surface (1082), such as via an electromechanical arm or robotic manipulator, using feedback to the user regarding the position and orientation of the sensing surface provided by the positioning platform (inverse kinematics, load cells, deflection sensors, joint positions, etc.). As the sensing surface is navigated closer to the targeted surface, integrated sensing capabilities may facilitate detection of the targeted surface and features (e.g., the system may be configured so that the integrated camera and LIDAR first detect the targeted surface, followed by other integrated sensing capabilities, which may be configured for sensing associated with closer engagement) (1084). The system may be configured to specifically create a contact event between the sensing surface and the targeted surface (e.g., repositioning and reorientation of the sensing surface may be slowed, and audio, visual, and / or tactile cues may be utilized to communicate contact), and the system may be configured to modify the shape or compliance of the sensing surface or associated substrate structure (1092), such as through controlled inflation or deflation of a bladder and / or conduits, with a fluid or gas. The system may be configured to conform to the targeted surface, utilize a deformable permeable layer, characterize the surface, and store information about the characterized targeted surface, such as its geometric profile, location, and / or orientation relative to a global or other coordinate system (1094). The system may again be configured to modify the shape or compliance of the sensing surface or associated substrate structure (1096), such as through controlled inflation or deflation of a bladder and / or conduits, with a fluid or gas.

[0119] Referring to FIG. 64 , in one embodiment, a user desires to utilize a sensing system to engage a surface, which may be convex, concave, saddle-shaped, cylindrical, or more complex or simple, and the system may be calibrated and positioned proximate to the targeted surface (1080). The user may navigate the sensing surface toward the targeted surface (1102), such as via an actively driven robotic arm, a manually positioned articulated arm with electromechanical brakes, a manually positioned articulated arm without electromechanical brakes, and / or an electromechanical arm that may comprise a tethered or tetherless configuration, which is manually held and oriented. As the sensing surface is navigated closer to the targeted surface, integrated sensing capabilities may facilitate detection of the targeted surface and features (e.g., the system may be configured so that the integrated camera and LIDAR first detect the targeted surface, followed by other integrated sensing capabilities, which may be configured for sensing associated with closer engagement) (1104). The system may be configured to specifically create an event of contact between the sensing surface and the targeted surface (e.g., repositioning and reorienting of the sensing surface may be slowed, and auditory, visual, and / or tactile cues may be utilized to communicate the contact) (1106). The system may be configured to conform to the targeted surface, utilize a deformable permeable layer, characterize the surface, and store information about the characterized targeted surface, such as its geometric profile, location, and / or orientation relative to a global or other coordinate system, etc. (1108).

[0120] Referring to FIG. 65 , in one embodiment, a user desires to utilize a sensing system to engage a surface, which may be convex, concave, saddle-shaped, cylindrical, or more complex or simple, and the system may be calibrated and positioned proximate to the targeted surface (1080). The user may navigate the sensing surface toward the targeted surface (1102), such as via an actively driven robotic arm, a manually positioned articulated arm with electromechanical brakes, a manually positioned articulated arm without electromechanical brakes, and / or an electromechanical arm that may have a tethered or tetherless configuration and is manually held and oriented. As the sensing surface is navigated closer to the targeted surface, integrated sensing capabilities may facilitate detection of the targeted surface and features (e.g., the system may be configured so that the integrated camera and LIDAR first detect the targeted surface, followed by other integrated sensing capabilities, which may be configured for sensing associated with closer engagement) (1104). The system may be configured to specifically create an event of contact between the sensing surface and the targeted surface (e.g., repositioning and reorienting the sensing surface may be slowed, and audio, visual, and / or tactile cues may be utilized to communicate contact) (1106). The system may be configured to conform to the targeted surface, utilize a deformable permeable layer, characterize the surface, and store information about the characterized targeted surface, such as its geometric profile, location, and / or orientation relative to a global or other coordinate system (1108). The system may be configured to align portions of a known model with locations of points known to be on the surface so that the system is aligned (i.e., so that a known position / orientation relationship is determined between the model and the measured surface), and alignment may be automated (1112), such as through automatic alignment based on a sequence of points or surfaces captured during measurement, such as through the assistance of a neural network trained using data about the known model.The system may be configured to determine 1114 differences between measured dimensions, surface orientations, or the like for quality assurance and / or inspection purposes.

[0121] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein. These examples are referred to in a non-limiting sense. They are provided to illustrate the more broadly applicable aspects of the present invention. Various modifications may be made to the described invention, and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, process, process acts, or steps to the objective, spirit, or scope of the present invention. Moreover, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, each of the individual variations described and exemplified herein has discrete components and features that can be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims associated with this disclosure.

[0122] The present invention includes methods that may be practiced using the subject devices. The methods may include the act of providing such a suitable device. Such provisioning may be performed by an end user. In other words, the act of "providing" merely requires the end user to obtain, access, approach, locate, configure, activate, launch, or otherwise act to provide the requisite device in the subject method. The methods recited herein may be carried out in any order of the recited events, as well as the recited order of events, that is logically possible.

[0123] Exemplary aspects of the invention, along with details regarding material selection and manufacturing, are described above. As for other details of the invention, these can be understood in connection with the above-referenced patents and publications and generally understood or understood by those skilled in the art. The same can be true with respect to method-based aspects of the invention in terms of additional acts as generally or logically adopted.

[0124] Additionally, while the present invention has been described with reference to several embodiments that optionally incorporate various features, the present invention is not limited to those described or shown as contemplated with respect to each variation of the invention. Various modifications may be made to the described invention, and equivalents (whether recited herein or not included for a degree of brevity) may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, when a range of values ​​is provided, it is understood that all intervening values ​​between the upper and lower limits of that range, and any other stated or intervening values ​​within the stated range, are encompassed within the invention.

[0125] It is also contemplated that any optional features of the described inventive variations may be set forth and claimed independently or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein. Reference to a singular item includes the possibility that plurals of the same items are present. More specifically, as used in this specification and the claims associated herewith, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," and "the" include plural referents unless specifically stated otherwise. In other words, the use of articles allows for "at least one" of the subject items in the claims associated with the above description and this disclosure. It is further noted that such claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. Accordingly, this language is intended to serve as a predicate for the use of exclusive terminology such as "solely," "only," and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements, or the use of a "negative" limitation.

[0126] Without the use of such exclusive terminology, the term "comprising" in the claims associated with this disclosure is intended to allow for the inclusion of any additional elements, regardless of whether a given number of elements are recited in such claim or whether the addition of features could be considered as changing the nature of the elements recited in such claim. Except as specifically defined herein, all technical and scientific terms used herein are to be given the broadest possible commonly understood meaning while maintaining the validity of the claims. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the examples and / or subject specification provided, but rather is limited only by the scope of the claim language associated with this disclosure.

Claims

1. 1. A system for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a. a deformable permeable layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, said interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object having a surface to be characterized; b. a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; c. a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; d. a computing system configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface film based at least in part on an interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer, and use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced against the interface film; e. a secondary sensor operatively coupled to the computing system and configured to provide input that can be utilized by the computing system to further geometrically characterize the surface of the interfaced object; A system comprising:

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary sensor is coupled to the deformable permeable layer.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a secondary sensor mounting structure coupled to the deformable permeable layer, the secondary sensor being coupled to the secondary sensor mounting structure.

4. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary sensor and the deformable permeable layer reside within an operating environment comprising one or more wall structures, the secondary sensor being coupled to one of the one or more wall structures.

5. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary sensor is selected from the group consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a LIDAR device, a strain sensor, a load sensor, a temperature sensor, an image capture device, and a measurement probe.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first illumination source comprises a light emitting diode.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the detector is a photodetector.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the detector is an image capture device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the image capture device is a CCD or CMOS device.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a lens operatively coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive from the detector information regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer that is detected by the detector.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emissions from the first illumination source.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the deformable permeable layer comprises an elastomeric material.

14. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

15. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the deformable transmissive layer comprises a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide a degree of illumination reflectivity that exceeds that of the elastomeric matrix.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the pigment material comprises a metal oxide.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interface membrane comprises an elastomeric material.

18. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the surface of the interfaced object is located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system is configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using its position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system.

19. 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer system is configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another within the global coordinate system.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the computing system is configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in the global coordinate system.

21. 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the computing system is configured to stitch geometrically adjacent geometric profiles together using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.

22. 1. A system for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a. a deformable permeable layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, said interface membrane being interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object; b. a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; c. a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; d. a computing system configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface film based at least in part on an interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer, and use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced against the interface film; e. a robotic manipulator operatively coupled to the computing system and the deformable permeable layer, the robotic arm configured to controllably position and orient the deformable permeable layer relative to the interfaced object such that the computing system can characterize the geometric profile of the surface of the interfaced object as interfaced to the interface membrane with respect to the relative positions and orientations of the deformable permeable layer and the interfaced object, respectively; A system comprising:

23. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the robotic manipulator comprises a robotic arm.

24. 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the robotic arm comprises a plurality of joints connected by substantially rigid linkage members.

25. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the robotic manipulator comprises a flexible robotic instrument.

26. 23. The system of claim 22, further comprising an end effector coupled to the robotic manipulator.

27. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the end effector comprises a grasper.

28. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first illumination source comprises a light emitting diode.

29. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the detector is a photodetector.

30. The system of claim 22 , wherein the detector is an image capture device.

31. 31. The system of claim 30, wherein the image capture device is a CCD or CMOS device.

32. 23. The system of claim 22, further comprising a lens operatively coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer.

33. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive from the detector information regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer that is detected by the detector.

34. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emissions from the first illumination source.

35. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the deformable permeable layer comprises an elastomeric material.

36. 32. The system of claim 31, wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

37. 36. The system of claim 35, wherein the deformable transmissive layer comprises a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide a degree of illumination reflectivity that exceeds that of the elastomeric matrix.

38. 38. The system of claim 37, wherein the pigment material comprises a metal oxide.

39. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the interface membrane comprises an elastomeric material.

40. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the surface of the interfaced object is located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system is configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using its position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system.

41. 41. The system of claim 40, wherein the computer system is configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another within the global coordinate system.

42. 42. The system of claim 41, wherein the computing system is configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in the global coordinate system.

43. 43. The system of claim 42, wherein the computing system is configured to stitch geometrically adjacent geometric profiles together using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.

44. 42. The system of claim 41, wherein the computing system is configured to operate the operably coupled robotic arm to automatically assemble the two or more geometric profiles of the two or more portions of the surface of the object based, at least in part, on an overall outer geometry of the object.

45. 45. The system of claim 44, wherein the two or more geometric profiles of the two or more portions of the surface of the object may be generated automatically based on immediately adjacent portions of the object.

46. 46. ​​The system of claim 45, wherein the computing system is configured to operate the operably coupled robotic arm to automatically collect the two or more geometric profiles of the two or more portions of the surface of the object sequentially based, at least in part, on a pre-determined analysis path selected by a user.

47. 1. A handheld system for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a. a deformable permeable layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, said interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object having a surface to be characterized; b. a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; c. a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; d. a computing system configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of the light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface film based at least in part on an interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer, and use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the interfaced object as interfaced against the interface film; Equipped with The deformable permeable layer and computing system are coupled within a handheld system housing comprising the mounting structure and a power supply, the handheld system housing being configured to facilitate manual action by a user such that the user can manually position and orient the deformable permeable layer and engage the interface membrane against the interfaced object.

48. 48. The system of claim 47, further comprising a location sensor operably coupled to the handheld system housing and computing system.

49. 49. The system of claim 48, wherein the location sensor is configured to be utilized by the computing system to determine a position of at least a portion of the handheld system housing within a global coordinate system.

50. 50. The system of claim 49, wherein the computing system and localization sensor are further configured such that an orientation of at least a portion of the handheld system housing within the global coordinate system can be determined.

51. 51. The system of claim 50, wherein the computing system and localization sensor are further configured such that a position and orientation of the deformable permeable layer within the global coordinate system can be determined.

52. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the first illumination source comprises a light emitting diode.

53. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the detector is a photodetector.

54. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the detector is an image capture device.

55. 55. The system of claim 54, wherein the image capture device is a CCD or CMOS device.

56. 48. The system of claim 47, further comprising a lens operatively coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer.

57. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive from the detector information regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer that is detected by the detector.

58. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emissions from the first illumination source.

59. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the deformable permeable layer comprises an elastomeric material.

60. 60. The system of claim 59, wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

61. 60. The system of claim 59, wherein the deformable transmissive layer comprises a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide a degree of illumination reflectivity that exceeds that of the elastomeric matrix.

62. 62. The system of claim 61, wherein the pigment material comprises a metal oxide.

63. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the interface membrane comprises an elastomeric material.

64. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the surface of the interfaced object is located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system is configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using its position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system.

65. 65. The system of claim 64, wherein the computer system is configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another within the global coordinate system.

66. 66. The system of claim 65, wherein the computing system is configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in the global coordinate system.

67. 67. The system of claim 66, wherein the computing system is configured to stitch geometrically adjacent geometric profiles together using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.

68. 65. The system of claim 64, further comprising a secondary sensor operably coupled to the computing system and configured to provide input that can be utilized by the computing system to further geometrically characterize a surface of the interfaced object.

69. 69. The system of claim 68, wherein the secondary sensor is selected from the group consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a LIDAR device, a strain sensor, a load sensor, a temperature sensor, an image capture device, and a measurement probe.

70. 70. The system of claim 69, wherein the secondary sensor comprises an IMU configured to output rotational and linear acceleration data to the computing system, the computing system configured to utilize the rotational and linear acceleration data to assist in characterizing a position or orientation of the deformable permeable layer within the global coordinate system.

71. 70. The system of claim 69, wherein the secondary sensor comprises an image capture device configured to capture image information regarding the surface of the interfaced object, and wherein the computing system is configured to utilize the image information to assist in determining a location or orientation of the object relative to the deformable permeable layer.

72. 72. The system of claim 71, further comprising one or more tracking tags coupled to the interfaced object, and one or more detectors operably coupled to the computing system such that the computing system can be utilized to identify and provide location information regarding the interfaced object based, at least in part, on a predetermined location of the one or more tracking tags relative to the interfaced object.

73. 73. The system of claim 72, wherein the one or more tracking tags comprise radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and the one or more detectors comprise RFID detectors.

74. 1. A method for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a. providing a deformable permeable layer, said deformable permeable layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, said interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object having a surface to be characterized; b. providing a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; c. providing a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; d. providing a computing system configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface film based at least in part on an interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer, and use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of a surface of the object as interfaced against the interface film; e. providing a secondary sensor, the secondary sensor operably coupled to the computing system and configured to provide input that can be utilized by the computing system to further geometrically characterize the surface of the interfaced object; A method comprising:

75. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the secondary sensor is coupled to the deformable permeable layer.

76. 75. The method of claim 74, further comprising providing a secondary sensor mounting structure coupled to the deformable permeable layer, the secondary sensor being coupled to the secondary sensor mounting structure.

77. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the secondary sensor and deformable permeable layer reside in an operating environment comprising one or more wall structures, the secondary sensor being coupled to one of the one or more wall structures.

78. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the secondary sensor is selected from the group consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a LIDAR device, a strain sensor, a load sensor, a temperature sensor, an image capture device, and a measurement probe.

79. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the first illumination source comprises a light emitting diode.

80. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the detector is a photodetector.

81. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the detector is an image capture device.

82. 82. The method of claim 81, wherein the image capture device is a CCD or CMOS device.

83. 75. The method of claim 74, further comprising providing a lens operatively coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer.

84. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive from the detector information regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer that is detected by the detector.

85. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emissions from the first illumination source.

86. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the deformable permeable layer comprises an elastomeric material.

87. 87. The method of claim 86, wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

88. 87. The method of claim 86, wherein the deformable transmissive layer comprises a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide a degree of illumination reflectivity that exceeds that of the elastomeric matrix.

89. 89. The method of claim 88, wherein the pigment material comprises a metal oxide.

90. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the interface membrane comprises an elastomeric material.

91. 75. The method of claim 74, wherein the surface of the interfaced object is located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system is configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using its position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system.

92. 92. The method of claim 91 , wherein the computer system is configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations for the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in the global coordinate system.

93. 93. The method of claim 92, wherein the computing system is configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in the global coordinate system.

94. 94. The method of claim 93, wherein the computing system is configured to stitch geometrically adjacent geometric profiles together using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.

95. 1. A method for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a. providing a deformable permeable layer, said deformable permeable layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, said interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object; b. providing a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; c. providing a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; d. providing a computing system configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface film based at least in part on an interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer, and use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced against the interface film; e. providing a robotic manipulator operatively coupled to the computing system and the deformable permeable layer, the robotic arm configured to controllably position and orient the deformable permeable layer relative to the interfaced object such that the computing system can characterize the geometric profile of the surface of the interfaced object as interfaced to the interface membrane with respect to the relative position and orientation of the deformable permeable layer and the interfaced object, respectively; A method comprising:

96. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the robotic manipulator comprises a robotic arm.

97. 97. The method of claim 96, wherein the robotic arm comprises a plurality of joints connected by substantially rigid linkage members.

98. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the robotic manipulator comprises a flexible robotic instrument.

99. 96. The method of claim 95, further comprising providing an end effector coupled to the robotic manipulator.

100. 100. The method of claim 99, wherein the end effector comprises a grasper.

101. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the first illumination source comprises a light emitting diode.

102. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the detector is a photodetector.

103. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the detector is an image capture device.

104. 104. The method of claim 103, wherein the image capture device is a CCD or CMOS device.

105. 96. The method of claim 95, further comprising providing a lens operatively coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer.

106. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive from the detector information regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer that is detected by the detector.

107. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emissions from the first illumination source.

108. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the deformable permeable layer comprises an elastomeric material.

109. 105. The method of claim 104, wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

110. 109. The method of claim 108, wherein the deformable transmissive layer comprises a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide a degree of illumination reflectivity that exceeds that of the elastomeric matrix.

111. 111. The method of claim 110, wherein the pigment material comprises a metal oxide.

112. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the interface membrane comprises an elastomeric material.

113. 96. The method of claim 95, wherein the surface of the interfaced object is located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system is configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using its position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system.

114. 114. The method of claim 113, wherein the computer system is configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations of the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other in the global coordinate system.

115. 115. The method of claim 114, wherein the computing system is configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in the global coordinate system.

116. 116. The method of claim 115, wherein the computing system is configured to stitch geometrically adjacent geometric profiles together using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.

117. 115. The method of claim 114, wherein the computing system is configured to operate the operably coupled robotic arm to automatically assemble the two or more geometric profiles of the two or more portions of the surface of the object based, at least in part, on the overall outer geometry of the object.

118. 118. The method of claim 117, wherein the two or more geometric profiles of the two or more portions of the surface of the object may be generated automatically based on immediately adjacent portions of the object.

119. 119. The method of claim 118, wherein the computing system is configured to operate the operably coupled robotic arm to automatically collect the two or more geometric profiles of the two or more portions of the surface of the object sequentially based, at least in part, on a pre-determined analysis path selected by a user.

120. 1. A handheld method for geometric surface characterization, comprising: a. providing a deformable permeable layer, said deformable permeable layer coupled to a mounting structure and an interface membrane, said interface membrane interfaced to at least one side of an interfaced object having a surface to be characterized; b. providing a first illumination source operatively coupled to the deformable transmissive layer and configured to emit first illumination light into the deformable transmissive layer at a known first illumination orientation relative to the deformable transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the first illumination light interacts with the deformable transmissive layer; c. providing a detector configured to detect light from within at least a portion of the deformable transmissive layer; d. providing a computing system configured to operate the detector to detect at least a portion of light directed from the deformable transmissive layer, determine a surface orientation with respect to a position along the interface film based at least in part on an interaction of the first illumination light with the deformable transmissive layer, and use the determined surface orientation to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the interfaced object as interfaced to the interface film; Including, The deformable permeable layer and computing system are coupled within a handheld system housing comprising the mounting structure and a power supply, the handheld system housing being configured to facilitate manual action by a user such that the user can manually position and orient the deformable permeable layer and engage the interface membrane against the interfaced object.

121. 121. The method of claim 120, further comprising providing a location sensor operably coupled to the handheld system housing and computing system.

122. 122. The method of claim 121, wherein the location sensor is configured to be utilized by the computing system to determine a position of at least a portion of the handheld system housing within a global coordinate system.

123. 123. The method of claim 122, wherein the computing system and localization sensor are further configured such that an orientation of at least a portion of the handheld system housing within the global coordinate system can be determined.

124. 124. The method of claim 123, wherein the computing system and localization sensor are further configured such that a position and orientation of the deformable permeable layer within the global coordinate system can be determined.

125. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the first illumination source comprises a light emitting diode.

126. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the detector is a photodetector.

127. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the detector is an image capture device.

128. 128. The method of claim 127, wherein the image capture device is a CCD or CMOS device.

129. 121. The method of claim 120, further comprising providing a lens operably coupled between the detector and the deformable transmissive layer.

130. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the detector and configured to receive from the detector information regarding light from within the deformable transmissive layer that is detected by the detector.

131. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the computing system is operably coupled to the first illumination source and configured to control emissions from the first illumination source.

132. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the deformable permeable layer comprises an elastomeric material.

133. 133. The method of claim 132, wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of silicone, urethane, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

134. 133. The method of claim 132, wherein the deformable transmissive layer comprises a composite having a pigment material dispersed within an elastomeric matrix, the pigment material configured to provide a degree of illumination reflectivity that exceeds that of the elastomeric matrix.

135. 135. The method of claim 134, wherein the pigment material comprises a metal oxide.

136. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the interface membrane comprises an elastomeric material.

137. 121. The method of claim 120, wherein the surface of the interfaced object is located and oriented in a global coordinate system, and the computing system is configured to characterize a geometric profile of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane using its position and orientation relative to the global coordinate system.

138. 138. The method of claim 137, wherein the computer system is configured to collect two or more geometric profiles of two or more portions of the surface of the object as interfaced to the interface membrane and determine positions and orientations of the two or more geometric profiles relative to each other within the global coordinate system.

139. 139. The method of claim 138, wherein the computing system is configured to provide a three-dimensional mapping of the two or more geometric profiles relative to one another in the global coordinate system.

140. 140. The method of claim 139, wherein the computing system is configured to stitch geometrically adjacent geometric profiles together using interpolation of the geometric profiles and their relative positions and orientations.

141. 138. The method of claim 137, further comprising providing a secondary sensor operably coupled to the computing system and configured to provide input that can be utilized by the computing system to further geometrically characterize the surface of the interfaced object.

142. 142. The method of claim 141, wherein the secondary sensor is selected from the group consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, a LIDAR device, a strain sensor, a load sensor, a temperature sensor, an image capture device, and a measurement probe.

143. 143. The method of claim 142, wherein the secondary sensor comprises an IMU configured to output rotational and linear acceleration data to the computing system, the computing system configured to utilize the rotational and linear acceleration data to assist in characterizing the position or orientation of the deformable permeable layer within the global coordinate system.

144. 143. The method of claim 142, wherein the secondary sensor comprises an image capture device configured to capture image information regarding the surface of the interfaced object, and the computing system is configured to utilize the image information to assist in determining a location or orientation of the object relative to the deformable permeable layer.

145. 145. The method of claim 144, further comprising providing one or more tracking tags coupled to the interfaced object and one or more detectors operably coupled to the computing system such that the computing system can be utilized to identify and provide location information regarding the interfaced object based, at least in part, on a predetermined location of the one or more tracking tags relative to the interfaced object.

146. 146. The method of claim 145, wherein the one or more tracking tags comprise radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and the one or more detectors comprise RFID detectors.

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