3D-PRINTED LOW-COST MODULAR FORCE SENSORS

摘要

Force and tactile sensing is required for robots interacting autonomously with their environment. Unfortunately, most force sensors available today are still too expensive to be deployed on a large scale. In this paper we introduce a modular approach to design and integrate low-cost force and tactile sensors directly into 3D-printed robot parts. Based on commodity optical proximity sensors embedded into deformable cantilever structures, sensitivity and load capacity can be selected in a wide range. Our modular CAD-library allows the designer to interactively dimension and shape the sensor for a given purpose.