Six-axis Force Sensor Research Articles

Senswing: A Force Sensing Wing for Intelligent Flapping-Wing Aerial Vehicles—Wing Design and Comprehensive Evaluation of Force Sensing Capabilities

This paper proposes a force-sensing wing, Senswing, to enhance the intelligence of flapping-wing aerial vehicles (FWAVs). Force perception is a crucial capability for robots to interact safely and effectively in unknown environments. However, FWAVs perform flapping motions with significant acceleration and deceleration, which can cause the flexure element inside force sensors to deteriorate due to repeated loading or even fail due to impulsive forces. To address this, we constructed a force measurement system by attaching 16 strain gauges directly to the wing root while maintaining high rigidity. We confirmed that the external force measurement capability closely matched the values obtained by a six-axis force sensor, with almost no error. Additionally, when measuring aerodynamic forces during wing flapping, the sensor could detect differences in wind speed even during flapping. With this sensor, FWAVs can achieve in-flight measurement of thrust and lift through a force-sensing system.

Structural Design and Experimental Analysis of the Self-Balancing Lower Limb Exoskeleton Robot

To facilitate walking rehabilitation training for individuals with lower limb paralysis, a self-balancing exoskeleton robot with 12 degrees of freedom was conceived. The principal structural design was conducted in line with the biomechanics of the human lower limbs, and a kinematic model was formulated. The stipulated gait was resolved by reverse kinematics in MATLAB to derive the joint angle actuation curves. These curves served as the motive input in ADAMS kinematic simulation experiments, yielding a gait trajectory with an error margin of less than 2 mm compared to the prearranged gait, which is within a reasonable range of deviation. Experiments involving walking with the exoskeleton were also executed. The analysis of the six-axis force sensor data from the sole demonstrated that the ground reaction force curve consistently remained within the bounds of the foot’s support area, substantiating the exoskeleton’s capability for stable ambulation with a load. The simulations and walking experiments together verified the soundness of the exoskeleton’s structural design.

Research on the measurement mechanism of a six-axis force sensor based on a flexible hinge series–parallel hybrid

Abstract Addressing the common limitations of current six-axis force sensors, including the degradation of strain gauge accuracy due to environmental influences and the necessity for a complete replacement when damaged, this paper proposes an innovative six-axis force sensor that integrates a hybrid serial–parallel structure featuring flexible hinges. The sensor’s bracket is designed using a combination of serial–parallel flexible hinges, which confer load distribution capabilities, are lightweight, have high strength, and facilitate replacement. The static force model and the overall stiffness model of the sensor were developed based on the 3-universal–prismatic–universal parallel mechanism theory, providing a theoretical foundation for evaluating the sensor’s performance. To validate the accuracy of the stiffness model, finite element software is utilized for simulation-based verification. Subsequently, a calibration experiment is performed on the sensor, yielding results that conclusively show an error margin of less than 5% between experimental and theoretical values, satisfying the design criteria for sensor measurement.

Performance Characterization of a Radial Rotating Detonation Combustor with Axial Exhaust

Abstract This experimental study characterizes the performance of a radial rotating detonation combustor (RDC). An aerospike nozzle for rocket propulsion has been integrated into the center of the combustor, although the same combustor could also be coupled with turbomachinery. The radial RDC utilized a rapid to gradual (RTG) area change in the flow direction to effectively confine the detonation region close to the inlet plane and to improve the uniformity of the flow exiting the RDC. Three test cases were analyzed, (a) a baseline case at a total reactant mass flow rate, m˙ = 0.136 kg/s and equivalence ratio, ϕ = 0.6, (b) a higher reactant flow rate, m˙ = 0.318 kg/s and ϕ = 0.6, and (c) a higher ϕ = 0.8 at m˙ = 0.318 kg/s. All tests were conducted using methane and a 67% oxygen and 33% nitrogen (by mole) oxidizer mixture. Measurements were acquired using CTAP probes inside the combustion channel and along the aerospike to characterize the performance, PCB and ion probes near the detonation region to identify wave modes and their variations during the test, and thrust measurements using a six-axis force sensor. Results show highly complex wave modes with multiple co-rotating and/or counter-rotating waves depending upon the reactant flow rate. The pressure and thrust measurements are consistent with the wave mode analysis. In general, a positive (combustor only) pressure gain was inferred when losses associated with the injection system were excluded.

Development and Investigation of a Grasping Analysis System with Two-Axis Force Sensors at Each of the 16 Points on the Object Surface for a Hardware-Based FinRay-Type Soft Gripper.

The FinRay soft gripper achieves passive enveloping grasping through its functional flexible structure, adapting to the contact configuration of the object to be grasped. However, variations in beam position and thickness lead to different behaviors, making it important to research the relationship between structure and force. Conventional research using FEM simulations has tested various virtual FinRay models but replicating phenomena such as buckling and slipping has been challenging. While hardware-based methods that involve installing sensors on the gripper and the object to analyze their states have been attempted, no studies have focused on the tangential contact force related to slipping. Therefore, we developed a 16-way object contact force measurement device incorporating two-axis force sensors into each of the 16 segmented objects and compared the normal and tangential components of the enveloping grasping force of the FinRay soft gripper under two types of contact friction conditions. In the first experiment, the proposed device was compared with a device containing a six-axis force sensor in one segmented object, confirming that the proposed device has no issues with measurement performance. In the second experiment, comparisons of the proposed device were made under various conditions: two contact friction states, three object contact positions, and two object motion states. The results demonstrated that the proposed device could decompose and analyze the grasping force into its normal and tangential components for each segmented object. Moreover, low friction conditions result in a wide contact area with lower tangential frictional force and a uniform normal pushing force, achieving effective enveloping grasping.

Research on Monitoring Assistive Devices for Rehabilitation of Movement Disorders through Multi-Sensor Analysis Combined with Deep Learning.

This study aims to integrate a convolutional neural network (CNN) and the Random Forest Model into a rehabilitation assessment device to provide a comprehensive gait analysis in the evaluation of movement disorders to help physicians evaluate rehabilitation progress by distinguishing gait characteristics under different walking modes. Equipped with accelerometers and six-axis force sensors, the device monitors body symmetry and upper limb strength during rehabilitation. Data were collected from normal and abnormal walking groups. A knee joint limiter was applied to subjects to simulate different levels of movement disorders. Features were extracted from the collected data and analyzed using a CNN. The overall performance was scored with Random Forest Model weights. Significant differences in average acceleration values between the moderately abnormal (MA) and severely abnormal (SA) groups (without vehicle assistance) were observed (p < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were found between the MA with vehicle assistance (MA-V) and SA with vehicle assistance (SA-V) groups (p > 0.05). Force sensor data showed good concentration in the normal walking group and more scatter in the SA-V group. The CNN and Random Forest Model accurately recognized gait conditions, achieving average accuracies of 88.4% and 92.3%, respectively, proving that the method mentioned above provides more accurate gait evaluations for patients with movement disorders.

Development and calibration of large deformation-compliant six-axis force sensor

Improving the measurement accuracy and minimising the coupling between directions are the keys to researching the compliant six-axis force sensors. The use of a six-axis force sensor to accurately monitor the ground reaction force and centre of pressure during human motion is of great significance in the fields of biomechanics and pathological gait diagnosis. Although complete force information can be obtained using a commercial six-axis force sensor, its high stiffness affects the natural gait and easily leads to human fatigue. A compliant six-axis force sensor based on a flexible optical waveguide is proposed, in which the force and torque of six dimensions are detected by reasonably arranging six modular sensing units, and the mechanical decoupling of some dimensions is realised in theory. For the interdimensional coupling and error caused by machining process factors, as well as the nonlinear relationship between the input and output of the proposed compliant six-axis force sensor, a DE-RBF decoupling algorithm is proposed to decouple the calibration data. Compared with the least squares method (LSM) and the radial basis function (RBF) neural network decoupling algorithm, the obtained type-I errors were reduced by 87.7629%, 43.6265%, respectively, and type-II errors by 35.3312%, 56.9162%, respectively. The decoupling result’s maximum type-I and type-II errors were reduced from 7.7125% and 2.7382% in LSM and 3.1029% and 2.8917% in RBF to 0.5916% and 0.9558%, respectively. The measurement accuracy of the compliant six-axis force sensor was significantly higher; however, the time effectiveness of the proposed DE-RBF decoupling algorithm was slightly lower than that of the RBF neural network by 2.47%. In conclusion, the decoupling accuracy and timeliness of the proposed DE-RBF decoupling algorithm can satisfy the requirements of compliant six-axis force sensors to monitor low-frequency biomechanical signals, such as human motion.

Research on Calibration Method of Six Dimensional Force Sensor at the End of Robot

A six-axis force sensor calibration method for industrial robots is proposed to meet the demand for precise force measurement of end effectors in industrial robots. Firstly, establish a sensor data relationship calculation model, and based on this, focus on considering the interference caused by sensor "zero drift"; Then, the least squares method is used to determine the inclination angle between the robot's end effector and the installation of the six-axis force sensor, the gravity of the end effector, and the coordinate parameters of the center of gravity. Finally, a CR5 robotic arm experimental platform was built to verify the feasibility of the algorithm. The experiment showed that the calibrated sensor maintained a stable force value of 0N without external force, verifying the accuracy of the calibration algorithm.

Digital Twin Virtual Welding Approach of Robotic Friction Stir Welding Based on Co-Simulation of FEA Model and Robotic Model

Robotic friction stir welding has become an important research direction in friction stir welding technology. However, the low stiffness of serial industrial robots leads to substantial, difficult-to-measure end-effector deviations under the welding forces during the friction stir welding process, impacting the welding quality. To more effectively measure the deviations in the end-effector, this study introduces a digital twin model based on the five-dimensional digital twin theory. The model obtains the current data of the robot and six-axis force sensor and calculates the real-time end deviations using the robot model. Based on this, a virtual welding model was realized by integrating the FEA model with the digital twin model using a co-simulation approach. This model achieves pre-process simulation by iteratively cycling through the simulated force from the FEA model and the end displacement from the robot model. The virtual welding model effectively predicts the welding outcomes with a mere 6.9% error in lateral deviation compared to actual welding, demonstrating its potential in optimizing welding parameters and enhancing accuracy and quality. Employing digital twin models to monitor, simulate, and optimize the welding process can reduce risks, save costs, and improve efficiency, providing new perspectives for optimizing robotic friction stir welding processes.

A six-axis force and torque sensor consisting of compliant mechanisms and full-bridge strain gauges

Compliant mechanisms offer the deformable structure that is required by a force and torque sensor (FTS). If strain gauges must be manually attached to a deformable structure’s side surface, considerable expense is incurred. By contrast, installation on bottom and top surfaces can be automated, thereby simplifying FTS fabrication. A six-axis FTS comprising H-bridge amplification mechanisms with 24 strain gauges (serving as strain sensors) appended to only the bottom and top surfaces, with the gauge connections creating six full Wheatstone bridges, was proposed. Analytical models of the functional relation among the applied strain, force and torque, and stress of the compliant parts were developed and validated using the finite-element method. A prototype was calibrated to acquire a cubic polynomial transformation matrix and achieved a mean error of 1.06 %. Moreover, thermal stability experiments revealed that the variation of the strain signal was under 0.07 % over a temperature range of 30 °C.

Coupled Aerodynamics–Structure Analysis and Wind Tunnel Experiments on Passive Hinge Oscillation of Wing-Tip-Chained Airplanes

This study examines the wing hinge oscillations in an aircraft concept that employs multiple wings, or small aircraft, chained at the wing tips through freely rotatable hinges with minimal structural damping and no mechanical position-locking system. This creates a single pseudo long-span aircraft that resembles a flying chain oriented perpendicular to the flight direction. Numerical calculations were conducted using the vortex lattice method and modified equations for a multi-link rigid body pendulum. The calculations demonstrated good agreement with small-scale wind tunnel experiments, where the motion of the chained wings was tracked through color tracking, and the forces were measured using six-axis force sensors. The total CL/CD increased for the chained wings, even in the presence of hinge joint oscillations. Furthermore, numerical simulations assuming an unmanned airplane size corroborated the theoretical attainment of passive stability with high chained numbers (≥9 wings), without any structural damping and relying solely on aerodynamic forces. Guidelines for appropriate hinge axis angle δ and angle-of-attack regions for different chained wing numbers to maximize passive oscillation stability were obtained. The results showed that wing-tip-chained airplanes could successfully provide substantially large wing spans while retaining flexibility, light weight and CL/CD, without requiring active hinge rotation control.

Development of an Easy-to-Cut Six-Axis Force Sensor

Development of an Easy-to-Cut Six-Axis Force Sensor

Wearable system for measuring three-dimensional reaction forces and moments using six-axis force sensors during skating

Wearable system for measuring three-dimensional reaction forces and moments using six-axis force sensors during skating

Design, modeling and kinematic analysis of a multi-configuration dexterous hand with integrated high-dimensional sensors

PurposeThis study aims to introduce a multi-configuration, three-finger dexterous hand with integrated high-dimensional sensors and provides an analysis of its design, modeling and kinematics.Design/methodology/approachA mechanical design scheme of the three-finger dexterous hand with a reconfigurable palm is proposed based on the existing research on dexterous hands. The reconfigurable palm design enables the dexterous hand to achieve four grasping modes to adapt to multiple grasping tasks. To further enhance perception, two six-axis force and torque sensors are integrated into each finger. The forward and inverse kinematics equations of the dexterous hand are derived using the D-H method for kinematics modeling, thus providing a theoretical model for index analysis. The performance is evaluated using three widely applied indicators: workspace, interactivity of fingers and manipulability.FindingsThe results of kinematics analysis show that the proposed hand has excellent dexterity. Additionally, three different experiments are conducted based on the proposed hand. The performance of the dexterous hand is also verified by fingertip force, motion accuracy test, grasping and in-hand manipulation experiments based on Feix taxonomy. The results show that the dexterous hand has good grasping ability, reproducing 82% of the natural movement of the human hand in daily grasping activities and achieving in-hand manipulations such as translation and rotation.Originality/valueA novel three-finger dexterous hand with multi-configuration and integrated high-dimensional sensors is proposed. It performs better than the previously designed dexterous hand in actual experiments and kinematic performance analysis.

Surface Quality Improvement for Ultrasonic-Assisted Inner Diameter Sawing with Six-Axis Force Sensors.

Ultrasonic-assisted inner diameter machining is a slicing method for hard and brittle materials. During this process, the sawing force is the main factor affecting the workpiece surface quality and tool life. Therefore, based on indentation fracture mechanics, a theoretical model of the cutting force of an ultrasound-assisted inner diameter saw is established in this paper for surface quality improvement. The cutting experiment was carried out with alumina ceramics (99%) as an exemplar of hard and brittle material. A six-axis force sensor was used to measure the sawing force in the experiment. The correctness of the theoretical model was verified by comparing the theoretical modeling with the actual cutting force, and the influence of machining parameters on the normal sawing force was evaluated. The experimental results showed that the ultrasonic-assisted cutting force model based on the six-axis force sensor proposed in this paper was more accurate. Compared with the regular tetrahedral abrasive model, the mean value and variance of the proposed model's force prediction error were reduced by 5.08% and 2.56%. Furthermore, by using the proposed model, the sawing processing parameters could be updated to improve the slice surface quality from a roughness Sa value of 1.534 µm to 1.129 µm. The proposed model provides guidance for the selection of process parameters and can improve processing efficiency and quality in subsequent real-world production.

Development of High Dynamic Range Six-Axis Force Sensor with Simple Structure

We propose a six-axis force sensor with a simple structure that can measure small forces while affording a high load capacity. For a robot to perform complex motions in an unknown environment, the force sensor used must exhibit a high resolution and high load rating. Various studies have been conducted to simultaneously satisfy these two requirements. However, the high processing cost due to the complicated sensor structure is problematic. Therefore, we develop a column-type high dynamic range (HDR) six-axis force sensor using two types of strain gauges. The sensor was composed of a drawn pipe to solve structural problems that arise during manufacturing. By attaching strain gauges to the surface of the drawn pipe, the forces and torques in the six axes can be measured. HDR measurement was realizable using a semiconductor strain gauge for small loads and a metallic foil strain gauge for large loads. Based on the simulation results, the rated loads of the sensor were 1400 N in the Fx and Fy directions, 9000 N in the Fz direction, and 120 Nm in the Mx, My, and Mz directions. The performance of the fabricated force sensor was evaluated. The maximum nonlinearity errors of the semiconductor strain gauge and the metallic foil strain gauges were 1.21% and 1.81%, respectively. In addition, when comparing the S/N ratios, the minimum measurable values were 0.035 N and 0.13 N for Fy and Fz, respectively.

PEDS13: Systemic force evaluation of Magnetic Bearings Design for a Pediatric LVAD Study

Study: A miniature magnetic levitation bearing system (maglev) was proposed for an implantable pediatric LVAD. The maglev bearing system is comprised passive radial bearings made of permanent magnet (PM) rings, and an active axial bearing. The study evaluates the passive bearing’s ability to radially stabilize the rotor within a moveable range of radial and axial displacements, and characterizes the axial forces produced. Methods: A stacked pair of concentric PM rings was placed on each side of the rotor and stator for the radial bearings. The PM rings were placed with like poles facing each other. The outer PM rings and stator were mounted on a six-axis force sensor attached to an xyz micrometer driven stage to set the position, and a rotational stage for alignment. The rotor and inner PM rings were inserted in the stator and held in place by both ends. The forces produced were measured at a combination of radial (0mm to 0.35mm with 0.05mm steps) and axial (0mm to 0.25mm with 0.05mm steps) displacements away from the center for a combination of 48 points. The measurements were taken three times and the average was taken. A finite element simulation was conducted by combining previously validated models of the motor, and the PM ring bearings to calculate radial and axial displacement forces. Results: As radial displacement increases, bearing force towards the center increases. Axial displacement decreases the force magnitude, but the direction towards the center remains. This shows the bearing’s ability to radially stabilize the rotor at a range of different radial and axial displacement combinations. As you increase axial displacement, the axial force away from the center increases. The radial position has little effect on axial force. This study quantifies the passive bearing’s axial forces to use in future work of developing the active axial bearing. The simulation results are in accordance with the experimental results. Variation is likely due to rotor-stator alignment error, holder manufacturing tolerances, and rotor rod flexing.Figure 1. Experimental Force Test SetupFigure 2. Axial and radial forces produced. Points are experimental results, dashed lines are simulation results.

Experiment for Effect of Attack Angle and Environmental Condition on Hydrodynamics of Near-Surface Swimming Fish-Like Robot

Fish-like robot is a special autonomous underwater vehicle with broad application prospects. Some previous studies concentrated on the hydrodynamics of free-swimming fish-like robots. But the hydrodynamic performance of fish-like robot swimming with a tilt angle in constrained space has not been well studied, and the influence of environmental wave and current on its is also still unclear. In this paper, the experiment devices, including a physical fish-like robot, a hydrodynamics measurement platform, and a six-axis force sensor, are used to study the effect of attack angle and environmental condition on the hydrodynamics of near-surface swimming fish-like robot. Nine attack angles, five oscillating amplitudes, and three environmental conditions are analyzed in the experiments. It shows that thrust force decreases when caudal fin passes above water surface, but the increased difference between gravity force and buoyancy force will compensate the decreased force generated by caudal fin when fish-like robot swims with certain dive angle. The extra reaction force generated by solid bottom boundary will promote the thrust force and vertical force. The surface water wave condition or surface water current condition also has obvious effects on hydrodynamic performance. This paper provides a new perspective to the research on the hydrodynamic performance of fish-like robot and will do favor in the development of fish-like robot.

Foot reaction force measurement during sprint training using insoles with MEMS six-axis force sensors.

Foot reaction force measurement during sprint training using insoles with MEMS six-axis force sensors.

Performance analysis of over-constrained orthogonal parallel six-axis force sensor

An over-constrained orthogonal parallel six-axis force sensor is an improvement over the traditional parallel six-axis force sensor and has the advantage of simple mapping relations. According to this improved configuration, performance parameters, such as decoupling characteristics, uniform-load characteristics, and range-limited characteristics, were used for performance analysis and were mathematically established. Then, the relation between the performance parameters and sensor design parameters was analysed numerically. Finally, a sensor prototype was designed and optimised into a second prototype based on the analysis of performance parameters. Results show that the vertical branch decoupling characteristic of the first and second prototypes were 19 % and 8.8 % full-scale (FS), respectively, and the range-limited characteristics of the first and second prototypes are 7.1 % in the Fz direction and 3.9 % FS, respectively. This shows that the proposed performance parameters can better analyse the performance of the over-constrained orthogonal parallel six-axis force sensor and optimise the sensor structure.