A tool driver for use in robotic surgery includes a base configured to couple to a distal end of a robotic arm, and a tool carriage slidingly engaged with the base and configured to receive a surgical tool. In one variation, the tool carriage may include a plurality of linear axis drives configured to actuate one or more articulated movements of the surgical tool. In another variation, the tool carriage may include a plurality of rotary axis drives configured to actuate one or more articulated movements of the surgical tool. Various sensors, such as a capacitive load cell for measuring axial load, a position sensor for measuring linear position of the guide based on the rotational positions of gears in a gear transmission, and/or a capacitive torque sensor based on differential capacitance, may be included in the tool driver.

The wireless capacitive load cell features a two-component strain member has a spring body and force transduction plate, which deforms when a load is applied to the structure. During loading, the force transduction plate moves the cantilever spring body out of a position of rest, which results in an indenter, located within the force transduction plate, contacting a capacitive transducer. The capacitive transducer converts deformation of the strain member into an electrical signal which is correlated to a specific load value. The microelectromechanical system that accompanies the capacitive transducer processes and prepares the signal for wireless transmission. The microelectromechanical system has a capacitive transducer, signal conditioner, microcontroller unit, and telemetry system. Additional embodiments of the wireless load cell may include acceleration and temperature sensors embedded within the microelectromechanical system. The spring body features hard stops to prevent excessive deformation which can be harmful to the capacitive transducer.

A removable electronics device and related pre-fabricated sensor assemblies having different sensor layouts are provided. The removable electronics module includes one or more processors, an inertial measurement unit, a first communication interface configured to communicatively couple the removable electronics device to one or more computing devices, a second communication interface configured to communicatively couple the removable electronics device to a plurality of pre-fabricated sensor assemblies, and a housing at least partially enclosing the processor, the inertial measurement unit, the first communication interface, and the second communication interface. The housing includes a first opening in at least one longitudinal surface and adjacent to at least a portion of the first communication interface and a plurality of second openings in a lower surface and adjacent to the plurality of contact pads of the second communication interface.

A device is provided to include a display panel and an optical sensor module. The optical fingerprint sensor can detect an contact input and generate a signal indicative of an image of the fingerprint and to generate a signal indicative of a biometric marker different form the fingerprint. The generated sensor signal includes the signal indicative of the image of the fingerprint and the signal indicative of the biometric marker different from the fingerprint. The optical sensor module can capture different fingerprint patterns at different times to monitor time-domain evolution of the fingerprint ridge pattern deformation that indicates time-domain evolution of a press force from the contact input. The sensing circuitry can process the generated sensor signal to determine whether the contact input associated with the fingerprint belongs to a finger of a live person.

A vehicle steering wheel is provided that includes a rim having a core structure, a plurality of heating zones surrounding at least a portion of the core structure, each heating zone having conductive circuitry to define a heater and a capacitive sensor for sensing location of a user's hand on the steering wheel, and a controller controlling the conductive circuitry in each heating zone to operate as the capacitive sensor to sense a presence of the user's hand in at least one heating zone and to switch to operate as the heater to heat the at least one heating zone when the hand is sensed in the at least one heating zone.

An apparatus and method wherein the apparatus comprises: a deformable substrate;a curved support structure; at least one support configured to space the curved support structure from the substrate so that when the deformable substrate is deformed the curved support structure is not deformed in the same way; and a capacitive sensor comprising a protruding electrode capacitively coupled to an overlaying electrode;wherein the protruding electrode protrudes from a side of the curved support structure.

The present disclosure relates to deformable membranes and force-sensing capacitor elements useful, for example, in electronic devices that include, for example touch screen displays or other touch sensors. The deformable membranes, generally, include a first, second and third layers, with a first arrangement of a plurality of first structures interposed between the first and third layers and a second arrangement of a plurality of second structures interposed between the second and third layers. At least a portion, but not all, of the plurality of first structures have first and/or second surfaces that each overlap through the thickness of the deformable membrane with one or more of the first surfaces or with one or more of the second surfaces of the plurality of second structures. Electrodes or one or more electrode pairs are incorporated into the deformable membrane layer(s) to form force-sensing capacitors. The present disclosure also relates to methods of making deformable membranes and force-sensing capacitor elements, and electronic devices, e.g. touch screen displays that include the deformable membranes and force-sensing capacitor elements.

A plurality of core bodies are housed within a casing having an opening portion on one end side. A core body selecting mechanism is provided which includes a plurality of operating portions coupled to each of the plurality of core bodies, and makes at least a tip of one core body among the plurality of core bodies selectively project from the opening portion of the casing. A pen pressure detecting portion common to the plurality of core bodies is provided within the casing. When the operating portion is operated to make at least the tip of the one core body project from the opening portion, part of the operated operating portion engages with the pen pressure detecting portion common to the plurality of core bodies, and the pen pressure detecting portion detects a pen pressure applied to the tip projected from the opening portion.

A device includes a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor is configured to generate a first signal corresponding to a detected first force. The second sensor is configured to generate a second signal corresponding to a detected second force. The first force and the second force has a substantially common direction. The device includes a processor configured to determine a measure of tension using the first signal and using the second signal. The measure of tension corresponds to displacement of an elongate member.

Systems and methods for integrating and using sensor system in articles of apparel are provided. The system may include an apparel piece sized and dimensioned to be worn on a user and a sensor system integrated with the apparel piece. The sensor system may include at least one stretchable capacitive sensor positioned on the apparel piece so as to measure a biometric parameter of the user when the apparel piece is worn, an illumination system configured to provide illumination in a specified illumination area based on the measured biometric parameter of the user, and a control module to control one or more settings of the illumination system.