Abstract: Pacinian corpuscle is a tactile receptor that responds to high-frequency (20–1000 Hz) vibration and has high-pass filtering and mechanical signal amplification functions. It is the main receptor of vibration tactility closely related to fine touch sensation, which is the ability to perceive and localize objects’ shape, texture, and size. Currently, it is still difficult to measure and calculate the friction generated by robots grasping objects. The resolution of touch and vibration sensors cannot satisfy the demand for understanding tribological behavior. The simulation of Pacinian corpuscles’ structure and replication of its key functions will bring richer touch information to robots. In this review article, the structure and functions of Pacinian corpuscles are summarized from the internal structure of a single Pacinian corpuscle and the spatial distribution of multiple Pacinian corpuscles. Then, theoretical models and research on the bionics design of Pacinian corpuscles are introduced based on the three reception processes of Pacinian corpuscles: mechanical transmission, electromechanical transduction, and neural excitation. Finally, the bottlenecks of current research on the simulation of Pacinian corpuscles are summarized, followed by the proposal of research ideas on the simulation of Pacinian corpuscles.

Key words:  , Pacinian corpuscle , · Vibrotactile , · Bionic sensor