An application of E-field sensors in industrial robotics

This paper investigates the possibility of constructing touch and proximity sensory systems for industrial robots by means of low cost electric field sensors. The interest in this application is motivated by the possibility of implementing new modalities of interaction and cooperation between man and robot in industrial environments, according to the revised ISO standards on Robots for industrial environments. The use of two E-field sensors, having different architecture, for the realization of an artificial skin on robot links is considered and studied. Prototypes of the sensory system are developed and tested on a simple, reduced-scale model of an anthropomorphic manipulator, showing the feasibility of the proposed solution and its suitability to reduce the risk of dangerous collisions between humans and robot in a shared workspace.