Development of a flexible structural contact force sensor for a grasping task by robot hand

In this paper, we propose a new type of contact force sensor. This sensor can detect contact location and can measure four-axis contact forces. The contact part of this sensor is composed of a silicon rubber, allowing this sensor to contact to objects softly. The structure of this sensor and the methods for calculating the contact location and the four-axis contact forces are proposed. A flexible structure is one of the characteristics of this sensor. We confirm if this character is available to absorb impact force when the sensor and environment are in contact. In addition, the effectiveness of this sensor in a task involving the grasping of an object by a robot hand is also demonstrated.