Development of an optoelectronic 6-axis force/torque sensor for robotic applications

This paper reports the development of a novel force/torque sensor for robotic applications. Optoelectronic components have been used as sensible elements, allowing a relatively simple and quite reliable implementation of the sensor. These properties allow an easier integration of the sensor in a number of different robotic systems, such as in the fingers of robotic hands or in industrial grippers. The basic working principle and the design of the sensor are presented, and experimental data are reported and discussed to illustrate its theoretical model and its main features. Finally, the implementation of a sensor prototype is shown, and its use as an intrinsic tactile sensor is investigated and experimentally validated.