Using Miniaturized Strain Sensors to Provide a Sense of Touch in a Humanoid Robotic Arm

Mohsen Asadnia,Andrew Belford,Sajad A Moshizi,Amir Razmjou

doi:10.3389/fmech.2020.550328

Mohsen Asadnia, Andrew Belford + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmech.2020.550328

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Abstract

Recent advancements in sensing technology have led to developments of lighter and smaller control systems for prosthetic and biomedical applications. In this paper, we develop a bio-inspired sensory system for a master-slave force-sensing robotic hand which allow accurate control and provide a natural sense of touch to humanoid robotic hand based on force information derived from a smart glove equipped. The slave robotic hand is fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, with servo motors to actuate the hand components. A glove with miniaturised flexible sensors attached serves as the master robotic hand, providing movement and force signals for the slave to emulate. The signals from the force sensors are used to moderate the movement of the slave hand’s fingers, so allowing delicate objects to be handled without the risk of breakage. We show that this is a practical and versatile method to improve robotic handling, and that with careful selection and tuning, it is possible to track the master hand’s applied force to within 0.1 Newtons. The success of this approach will pave the way for the development of novel control systems using low-cost bio-inspired strain and force sensors for prosthetics applications.

Highlights

In recent years, autonomous robots have begun performing various complex tasks previously undertaken only by humans
We develop a master-slave robotic hand system with a good sense of its environment, able to pick up delicate objects
The section Fabrication of the Slave Robotic Hand System of this paper describes the technology and processes involved in developing the robotic hand system, The section Discussion and Results provides a details of the results achieved in the testing of the hand’s performance when handling objects, and the Conclusion summarizes our work and suggests promising avenues for further study

Summary

Introduction

Autonomous robots have begun performing various complex tasks previously undertaken only by humans. As noted by Billard and Kragic, there is still considerable advancement in dexterous manipulation required to achieve useful capability in robotic handling techniques (Billard and Kragic, 2019). Master-slave robotic systems still have an important role to enhance the capabilities of both humans and robots in performing tasks in unknown and dangerous environments (Hashtrudi-Zaad and Salcudean, 2001; Aliaga et al, 2004; Tadakuma et al, 2005). Lee et al note the challenges associated with artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for control of robotic equipment, which adds weight to utility of the approach of a simple human-assisted robotic system (Lee et al, 2019). Master-slave manipulation has been extensively utilized in minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) (Li et al, 2012; Hwang et al, 2019), rehabilitation (Li et al, 2010), hazardous environments

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