Force sensing for dynamic gripping, using a piezoelectric sensor

There is a quest in the field of robotics for an automated dynamic gripper with characteristics as close as possible to that of the human hand. In this paper an automated robot gripper is described that achieves preset levels of gripping force for a certain task. It utilises dynamic gripping through the use of piezoelectric sensors. Analysis of the output pulse from the piezoelectric film indicates the velocity of gripping, deceleration and the total force the gripper is inducing on the gripped object. Piezoelectric film is chosen for its superior sensitivity and structural simplicity over the typical metal-foil strain gauges. The paper shows that, compared to three dimensional analysis, object handling using dynamic fingertip force sensing is a cheaper and more accurate solution.