title: Multi-Axis Force/Torque Sensor Based on Simply-Supported Beam and Optoelectronics.
abstract: This paper presents a multi-axis force/torque sensor based on simply-supported beam and optoelectronic technology. The sensor's main advantages are: (1) Low power consumption; (2) low-level noise in comparison with conventional methods of force sensing (e.g., using strain gauges); (3) the ability to be embedded into different mechanical structures; (4) miniaturisation; (5) simple manufacture and customisation to fit a wide-range of robot systems; and (6) low-cost fabrication and assembly of sensor structure. For these reasons, the proposed multi-axis force/torque sensor can be used in a wide range of application areas including medical robotics, manufacturing, and areas involving human-robot interaction. This paper shows the application of our concept of a force/torque sensor to flexible continuum manipulators: A cylindrical MIS (Minimally Invasive Surgery) robot, and includes its design, fabrication, and evaluation tests.
authors.affiliation: Department of Informatics, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK. yohan.noh@kcl.ac.uk.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK. yohan.noh@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Yohan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.affiliation: Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova 16163, Italy. joao.bimbo@iit.it.
authors.forename: Joao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bimbo
authors.affiliation: Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK. s.sareh@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sareh
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK. h.wurdemann@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wurdemann
authors.affiliation: Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements, Warsaw 02-486, Poland. jfras@piap.pl.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fraś
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Katubadda, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka. Chathurangas@uom.lk.
authors.forename: Damith Suresh
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chathuranga
authors.affiliation: Department of Informatics, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK. hongbin.liu@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Hongbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK. richard.housden@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Housden
authors.affiliation: ARQ-Advanced Robotics @ Queen Mary Faculty of Science and Engineering Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd, London E1 4NS, UK. k.althoefer@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Kaspar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Althoefer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK. kawal.rhode@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Kawal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rhode
keywords: force/torque sensor; light intensity optics; multi-axis force/torque; optoelectronic sensors