Bio‐Inspired Tactile Reflex Architecture for Ultra‐Fast and Context‐Aware Human‐Robot Interaction

ABSTRACT Robots operating in close proximity to humans must be capable of perceiving contact, reacting within milliseconds, and subsequently restoring stable task execution. However, existing proprioceptive or vision‐based methods suffer from limited bandwidth, high latency, and poor reliability during dynamic interactions. Here, we propose a human‐inspired tactile perception and reflex control framework that integrates a high‐performance single‐electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (STENG) tactile array, distributed microcontroller‐based reflex processing, and impact‐aware high‐level motion generation. The STENG array, fabricated using optimized silicone and liquid‐metal printing, provides high‐bandwidth, high‐resolution mechanical sensing and robust surface conformability. A lightweight neural classifier embedded directly in the reflex layer enables real‐time discrimination between human and object contact from raw triboelectric waveforms. The distributed control architecture achieves a total reflex latency of 2.2 ms, outperforming the centralized controller by more than a factor of five. Experimental demonstrations show that the system can generate an immediate stop followed by high‐level retraction under human contact, while selectively modulating motion during object contact, providing context‐aware reflex actions. The proposed architecture bridges the gap between ultra‐fast tactile sensing and high‐level motion intelligence, enabling fast, safe, and human‐friendly physical interaction for future human‐robot interaction (HRI) applications.