2015 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Small sized force/torque sensors for robotic arms and hands
| Project/Area Number |
15K21443
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
シュミッツ アレクサンダー 早稲田大学, 理工学術院, 助教 (30729455)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
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| Keywords | F/T Sensors |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
We have implemented and tested the 3-axis capacitive force sensor for skin. The main novelty is the tilted capacitive transducers with copper beryllium that enables measuring the tangential forces acting on the sensor surface. Experiments clearly show that the sensor can sense the 3D force vector with a certain level of accuracy. Even after the molding, the sensor has a relatively high SNR. In our experiments, the hysteresis was limited within 4% of the maximum force after the molding when covered with a 7mm-thick layer of Ecoflex Supersoft 30 silicone rubber. The temperature compensation pad can limit the effect of temperature changes on the sensor measurements.
Furthermore, we have implemented a tactile sensor that uses Hall-effect sensors. This sensor requires less space and the production is easier than for the capacitive sensor. We implemented a tactile sensor system that can be installed on robotic hands, in particular, the commercially available Allegro Hand from Simlab. Each sensor module contains 16 tri-axial Hall effect force sensors and eight tri-axial accelerometers. The modules are 26mm long and 27mm wide and fit on each of the 11 servo motors that constitute the finger phalanges of the Allegro Hand. The 3-axis Hall effect sensors are close to each other (4.7 from the center of one sensor to the next), but experiments proved that the crosstalk is limited, and the position and shape of the contact can be extracted.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
We have made better progress than expected with the distributed skin sensors. We are currently working on the 6-axis F/T sensors.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
We have made all the parts for the capacitive 6-axis F/T sensor, but have yet to assemble a complete prototype. For the 3-axis F/T sensors for skin, there are many possible improvements, which will be implemented. Moreover, there are many tests which remain to be performed on the sensors. The sensor integration on the robot arm and hand is incomplete and will be done in the future. Experiments with the arm and hand will be performed.
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| Causes of Carryover |
We asked for the money to buy a robot arm to install the sensors. Unexpectedly, we could use an existing robot arm in the lab (and an existing robot hand) to test the sensors. The existing robot arm and hand can easily be modified to allow the installation of the sensors. Therefore, we did not need to acquire a new robot arm.
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| Expenditure Plan for Carryover Budget |
In the 2nd year, we will focus on the improvement of the sensors, the integration on the robot, and the software development. I will buy new PCBs for improved sensors and other material like silicone and chips to implement the sensors.
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Research Products
(9 results)
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[Journal Article] Design and Characterization of a Three-Axis Hall Effect-Based Soft Skin Sensor2016
Author(s)
Tomo, T.P., Somlor, S., Schmitz, A., Jamone, L., Huang, W., Kristanto, H. and Sugano, S.
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Journal Title
Sensors
Volume: 16 (4)
Pages: 1-11
DOI
Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
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[Presentation] Development of a Hall-Effect Based Skin Sensor2015
Author(s)
Tomo, T.P, Somlor, S., Jamone, L., Schmitz, A., Hashimoto, S. and Sugano, S.
Organizer
IEEE SENSORS Conference 2015 (52% acceptance rate)
Place of Presentation
Busan, South Korea
Year and Date
2015-11-01 – 2015-11-04
Int'l Joint Research
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[Presentation] Robust In-Hand Manipulation of Variously Sized and Shaped Objects2015
Author(s)
Funabashi, S., Schmitz, A., Sato, T., Somlor, S., Sugano, S.
Organizer
IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2015)
Place of Presentation
Hamburg, Germany
Year and Date
2015-09-29 – 2015-10-02
Int'l Joint Research
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