Joshua D. Goldberg and Ronald S. Fearing

EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley

Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2016-26

May 1, 2016

http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2016/EECS-2016-26.pdf

Mobile robot contact sensing can be useful for navigation and manipulation with small robots. In this work, we present a low-cost, 40 gram force-torque sensor for a 10 cm hexapedal millirobot. A planar array of photointerrupters, rigidly attached to the structure of the robot, is used to measure the six-axis movement of a shell attached to the robot with springs. The sensors measure the intensity of infrared light reflected off of a surface on the underside of the shell, which has been specially designed to enable the resolution of the forces and moments in the x-, y-, and z-axes applied to the shell. The sensor has a force sensitivity of 17 mN and torque sensitivity of 0.72 mN-m for a sampling rate of 100 Hz. The sensor can resolve a force equivalent to 2.4% of the combined robot and sensor weight of 700 mN.

Advisors: Ronald S. Fearing

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BibTeX citation:

@mastersthesis{Goldberg:EECS-2016-26,
    Author= {Goldberg, Joshua D. and Fearing, Ronald S.},
    Title= {Force Sensing Shell using a Planar Sensor for Miniature Legged Robots},
    School= {EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley},
    Year= {2016},
    Month= {May},
    Url= {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2016/EECS-2016-26.html},
    Number= {UCB/EECS-2016-26},
    Abstract= {Mobile robot contact sensing can be useful for navigation and manipulation with small robots. In this work, we present a low-cost, 40 gram force-torque sensor for a 10 cm hexapedal millirobot. A planar array of photointerrupters, rigidly attached to the structure of the robot, is used to measure the six-axis movement of a shell attached to the robot with springs. The sensors measure the intensity of infrared light reflected off of a surface on the underside of the shell, which has been specially designed to enable the resolution of the forces and moments in the x-, y-, and z-axes applied to the shell. The sensor has a force sensitivity of 17 mN and torque sensitivity of 0.72 mN-m for a sampling rate of 100 Hz. The sensor can resolve a force equivalent to 2.4% of the combined robot and sensor weight of 700 mN.},
}

EndNote citation:

%0 Thesis
%A Goldberg, Joshua D. 
%A Fearing, Ronald S. 
%T Force Sensing Shell using a Planar Sensor for Miniature Legged Robots
%I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
%D 2016
%8 May 1
%@ UCB/EECS-2016-26
%U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2016/EECS-2016-26.html
%F Goldberg:EECS-2016-26