18156113. ROBOT ARM ASSEMBLIES INCLUDING FINGERS HAVING DEFORMABLE SENSORS simplified abstract (TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA)

ROBOT ARM ASSEMBLIES INCLUDING FINGERS HAVING DEFORMABLE SENSORS

Organization Name

TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Inventor(s)

Alexander Alspach of Somerville MA (US)

Naveen Suresh Kuppuswamy of Arlington MA (US)

Avinash Uttamchandani of Cambridge MA (US)

Samson F. Creasey of Cambridge MA (US)

Russell L. Tedrake of Needham MA (US)

Kunimatsu Hashimoto of Brookline MA (US)

Erik C. Sobel of Newton MA (US)

Takuya Ikeda of Nagakute-shi (JP)

ROBOT ARM ASSEMBLIES INCLUDING FINGERS HAVING DEFORMABLE SENSORS - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18156113 titled 'ROBOT ARM ASSEMBLIES INCLUDING FINGERS HAVING DEFORMABLE SENSORS

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a robot arm assembly that can detect the pose and force of an object. It includes an end effector with multiple fingers, each equipped with a deformable sensor. The deformable sensor consists of a housing, a flexible membrane attached to the housing, an enclosure filled with a medium, and an internal sensor within the housing. The internal sensor looks through the medium and towards the internal surface of the membrane.

A processor receives the output from each internal sensor, which includes information about the contact region of the membrane when it comes into contact with an object. The processor analyzes this data to determine the amount of displacement of the contact region, and based on that, it calculates the pose (position and orientation) and force exerted by the object.

• The robot arm assembly has an end effector with multiple fingers, each equipped with a deformable sensor.
• The deformable sensor includes a housing, a flexible membrane, an enclosure filled with a medium, and an internal sensor.
• The internal sensor looks through the medium and towards the internal surface of the membrane.
• A processor receives the output from each internal sensor and determines the amount of displacement of the contact region on the membrane.
• Based on the displacement data, the processor calculates the pose and force of the object.

Potential Applications

• Robotic manipulation tasks that require precise control of object pose and force.
• Industrial automation processes where objects need to be handled with accuracy and sensitivity.
• Prosthetics and exoskeletons that require feedback on the pose and force exerted by the user.

Problems Solved

• Traditional robot arms lack the ability to accurately detect the pose and force of objects.
• Existing sensors may not provide sufficient sensitivity or accuracy for certain applications.
• This technology solves the problem of obtaining precise information about object pose and force during robotic interactions.

Benefits

• Enables more precise and controlled manipulation of objects by robot arms.
• Provides real-time feedback on the pose and force exerted by objects.
• Enhances safety and efficiency in industrial automation processes.
• Improves the functionality and usability of prosthetics and exoskeletons.

Original Abstract Submitted

A robot arm assembly for detecting a pose and force associated with an object is provided. The robot arm assembly includes an end effector having a plurality of fingers, and a deformable sensor provided on each finger. The deformable sensor includes a housing, a deformable membrane coupled to the housing, an enclosure filled with a medium, and an internal sensor disposed within the housing having a field of view directed through the medium and toward an internal surface of the deformable membrane. A processor is configured to receive an output from each internal sensor, the output including a contact region of the deformable membrane as a result of contact with the object. The processor determines an amount of displacement of the contact region based on the output from each internal sensor, and determines the pose and the force associated with the object based on the amount of displacement.