Sensing gripper and manufacturing method thereof

Soft Robotic Gripper with Multi-Layer Sensor Skin and Optical Waveguide Joint for Force and Bending Sensing

This technology is a soft robotic gripper composed of a multi-layer elastomer sensor skin and a joint utilizing optical waveguide modes. It employs a multi-layer thin-film sensor skin (bottom, core, and top layers) to sense contact force with objects, and incorporates a flexible joint structure with an embedded core sensor that uses optical waveguide modes to measure the bending angle of the joint.

Conventional SDM-based soft grippers involve complex and time-consuming manufacturing processes and lack an integrated sensing structure capable of simultaneously and precisely measuring both contact force and finger bending angles.

This technology utilizes 3D-printed rigid molds to create soft molds, enabling the integrated manufacturing of elastomer-based phalanges, multi-layer sensor skins, and optical waveguide joints. The sensor skin is formed with a multi-layer structure of varying flexibility to detect contact force, while the joint combines a core sensor and an outer shell to detect bending angles. Applicable to logistics picking, precision assembly, and service robots, this solution enables simultaneous measurement of contact force and bending angles while simplifying production through soft molding.

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Key Features:

• A first phalange section including a first phalanx and a first sensor skin formed on its surface to sense contact force with objects
• A second phalange section including a second phalanx and a second sensor skin formed on its surface to sense contact force with objects
• A joint section connecting the first and second phalange sections, configured to sense its own bending angle during gripping operations
• A core sensor layer formed between the bottom and top sensor layers, featuring optical waveguide modes

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for inflatable soft robotic arm technology for the care of the elderly and patients.