ROBOTS MAKE SENSES

With thousands of years of evolution, humans have learned to walk upright and learn to use tools. In order to adapt to complex and diverse environments, human beings also have powerful and sensitive sensory inputs, relying on the interaction of various senses, humans can Complete a variety of tasks.

Cooperation between human senses has been ongoing. Think about how we used the key to unlock the door in dim conditions. Try to use the eyes to look at the approximate position of the keyway and then insert the key, but when the key is actually inserted into the keyhole, we will not look at it, but use the touch to make the final adjustment until the key is inserted into the lock. This operation is no longer natural for humans, so almost no one will think about how the whole process works.

Robots are not tactile, but they can also “evolve” out of touch and benefit from touch. By giving the robot a multi-dimensional force torque sensor, the robot can have a sense of touch and manipulate the object in a simple environment without losing the precision and sensitivity.

Most robots designed for collaborative applications have built-in force and torque sensing to ensure safety, especially when working close to or directly with humans. But that's not enough, because we humans like to give dull, repetitive, dirty and dangerous tasks to those mechatronics robots. Therefore, we pay more attention to integrated multi-dimensional force torque sensors that can achieve real work. Only by integrating these high-end sensors into mechatronics robots can we achieve our goal.

Thanks to proven sensor solutions, new designs and intelligent software, Hypersen has realized the technology that robots can touch and “feel”. In robotics, vision and touch are complementary ways. According to industry experts, touch sensing will soon be added to mainstream robotics applications like visual technology.

In machining, such as grinding, deburring, grinding and polishing, it is very complicated for the robot to do this. You need to do a lot of programming according to the volume of the space, and it takes a lot of time to correct the error. However, with the integrated multi-dimensional force torque sensor, the sensor's path recording function allows the operator to simply grasp the arm end device and perform the desired movement. The sensor records the force and direction applied by the operator and the robot can repeat the operator's actions. This will greatly improve work efficiency and will help to ensure the safety of operators.

Besides, multi-dimensional force torque sensors help with product positioning, product testing, product packaging, and robot assembly.

For example, precision assembly such as piston assembly or gear assembly is a common application for multi-dimensional force torque sensors. These precision-mounted operating planes are not only vertical or horizontal. In some installations, the operating platform will be accompanied by a certain angle. These will bring great difficulty to the actual assembly, and it is difficult to guarantee the accuracy. In the current assembly, visual technology is generally used. Since there is a gap between the parts in actual assembly, and the gap is only one tenth of the diameter of the human hair, it is impossible to achieve perfect alignment by visual technique alone. Therefore, in these practical applications, adding touch is the only way to achieve perfect assembly.

There are various types of multi-dimensional force sensors based on strain gauges, optical or capacitive techniques. Each technology has different levels of performance, life, calibration requirements and cost. Among the many multi-dimensional force sensors, Hypersen six-dimensional force sensor stands out for its excellent performance and high cost performance.

HPS-FT Series 6D force torque sensors are designed to measure the forces and torques on three mutually perpendicular axes. The sensor system consists of a high-performance sensor body, highly flexible shielded cables and a powerful data processing controller.

In practical applications, Hypersen six-dimensional force torque sensor has a very small offset even if a very heavy load is applied. This is very important for robots because many high-precision robots require very precise tool center points and often require an extra large amount of investment to achieve this. If the sensor is offset by a lot of load, then this accuracy will no longer exist.

What's more, Hypersen is able to package all the electronic components of the HPS-FT060 six-dimensional force torque sensor, including amplifiers, into a smaller package, requiring only one cable to meet the power and communication requirements of the external interface. Various communication interfaces, support USB, LAN, EtherCAT and RS485.

Today, with the rising labor costs in China, automation will bring benefits to enterprises. In addition to heavy-duty machining tasks, small component assembly tasks that rely on human finger touch, such as cell phone or computer assembly lines, can be tactilely assisted by humans or independently by adding multi-dimensional force torque sensors. This will greatly increase production efficiency.

Robots with multi-dimensional force sensors have a sense of touch, and they become more powerful and can do more complex, dull or dangerous work that should have been done manually. Enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, will continue to benefit from it.