Melexis develops force sensor for robot hands
Melexis (Tessenderlo, Belgium) has unveiled a tactile sensor that provides a measure of the 3D force vector acting on its sensor. This could improve robots’ ability to handle diverse and fragile objects such as fruit.
The Tactaxis has been implemented in a functioning prototype and features multiple 3D magnetometers. The sensor is accompanied by a magnet which is embedded into an elastomer material. This presents a soft contact interface, emulating the attributes of human skin. The arrangement offers a high sensitivity so that detection of even small amounts of force will generate a response. The achieved force resolution is 2.7mN which is enough to distinguish weight change of a fraction of a gram (approx. 0.3 gram).
The Tactaxis prototype has dimensions of 5mm by 5mm by 5mm. The gradiometric approach makes the sensor immune to magnetic stray fields. This prevents potential measurement errors. It is also robust enough to cope with harsh conditions and temperature variations. Unlike competing optically-based tactile sensors, Tactaxis is completely integrated. It will be possible to produce high volumes of factory-calibrated sensors. This semiconductor process results in major cost and reliability benefits.
“Robots need the sense of touch to manipulate fragile objects. For such applications, we have developed a novel magnetic sensor to accurately measure the contact force – while being robust against disturbances,” said Gael Close, innovation manager at Melexis, in a statement. “By exploiting the capabilities of our Triaxis magnetic sensor technology, we have made a significant step forward in robot tactile sensors, providing a rugged and competitive multi-axis sensing solution. We will now use the Tactaxis prototype as the foundation for further development work.”
A white paper giving details on the Melexis 3D magnetic force sensor prototype has been published by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers): “A gradiometric magnetic force sensor immune to stray magnetic fields for robotic hands and grippers”, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, Jan. 2022.
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