CoinFT: A Coin-Sized, Capacitive 6-Axis Force Torque Sensor for Robotic Applications

Abstract:We introduce CoinFT, a capacitive 6-axis force/torque (F/T) sensor that is compact, light, low-cost, and robust with an average root-mean-squared error of 0.16 N for force and 1.08 mN m for moment when the input ranges from 0-14 N and 0-5 N in normal and shear directions, respectively. CoinFT is a stack of two rigid PCBs with comb-shaped electrodes connected by an array of silicone rubber pillars. A microcontroller interrogates the electrodes in different subsets in order to enhance sensitivity for measuring 6-axis F/T. The combination of features of CoinFT enables various contact-rich robot interactions across different embodiment domains including drones, robot end-effectors, and wearable haptic devices. We demonstrate the utility of CoinFT through two representative applications: a multi-axial contact-probing experiment in which a CoinFT mounted beneath a hemispherical fingertip measures 6-axis force and torque representative of manipulation scenarios, and a force-control task on a drone. The design, fabrication, and firmware of CoinFT are open-sourced at this https URL.

Robotics (cs.RO); Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC)

arXiv:2503.19225 [cs.RO]

(or arXiv:2503.19225v4 [cs.RO] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2503.19225 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

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