Rugged and Compact Three-Axis Force/Torque Sensor for Wearable Robots

Abstract

In the field of robotics, sensors are crucial in enabling the interaction between robots and their users. To ensure this interaction, sensors mainly measure the user’s strength, and based on this, wearable robots are controlled. In this paper, we propose a novel three-axis force/torque sensor for wearable robots that is compact and has a high load capacity. The bolt and nut combination of the proposed sensor is designed to measure high-load weights, and the simple structure of this combination allows the sensor to be compact and light. Additionally, to measure the three-axis force/torque, we design three capacitance-sensing cells. These cells are arranged in parallel to measure the difference in capacitance between the positive and negative electrodes. From the capacitance change measured by these sensing cells, force/torque information is converted through deep neural network calibration. The sensing point can also be confirmed using the geometric and kinematic relation of the sensor. The proposed sensor is manufactured through a simple and inexpensive process using cheap and simply structured components. The performance of the sensor, such as its repeatability and capacity, is evaluated using several experimental setups. In addition, the sensor is applied to a wearable robot to measure the force of an artificial muscle.

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Design and analysis of a miniature self-decoupling six-dimensional force/moment sensor

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“…At present, the multi-dimensional force/moment sensor that is commonly used in the field of intelligent robots has been widely studied by the academe because of its characteristics of diverse configurations, 7,8 compact structure, 9–11 and easy operation. 12–14 In recent years, the research on multi-dimensional force sensors has mainly focused on the design of elastomer configuration, optimization of perceptual force principle, and multi-dimensional force feedback decoupling algorithms.…”