At&t Bell Laboratories

Lawrence A Hornak

Susan Hackwood

Gerardo Beni

Janet L Jackel

Gerard Beni

A movable part of a robot, such as the fingers of the robot hand, are provided with an array of tactile elements mounted on a substrate. Each element includes a magnetic dipole embedded in a compliant medium on one side of the substrate and a magnetic sensor on the other side of the substrate. The dipole and sensor are in parallel planes. A force or torque deforms the compliant medium and displaces the magnetic dipoles with respect to the sensor. The sensor detects the change in magnetic field and produces an electrical signal which is used to control the robot. Magnetoresistive sensors are preferred. To detect torque, each element illustratively includes four sensors arranged at 90.degree. to one another and a magnetic dipole oriented at 45.degree. to each sensor. Also described is the handling of objects by a robot having such a tactile array in its gripper or hand, and the use of a robot to bring an object into contact with such a tactile array mounted, for example, on a table top, thereby enabling pattern recognition functions.

Robotic system utilizing a tactile sensor array

Two opposing fingers of a robot hand are each provided with an array of optical devices which are capable of being in optical communication with one another through the gap between the fingers. One finger is provided with an array of light emitters and the other is provided with an array of light recepetors. By taking advantage of the motion of the robot hand and the small size of the optical devices, the shape of an object between the fingers can be detected by using at least one linear set, and preferably at least two linear sets, of devices in each array. Illustratively, the linear sets form a T-shaped array or a U-shaped array and are disposed along the edges of the fingers. In one embodiment the emitters are GRIN rod lenses coupled through a fiber cable to a light source, and the receptors are also GRIN rod lenses coupled through a fiber cable to a camera system. A manufacturing method utilizing such a sensor to identify the shape of objects is also described.

Dynamic optical sensing: Robotic system and manufacturing method

Described is a robot having a proximity sensor which is based on the reentrant-loop magnetic effect. In one embodiment this sensor in a robot hand can detect the position and orientation of magnetized objects within about a 5 cm range, independently of the speed of approach.

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Ocean, NJ, United States of America

Lawrence A Hornak