In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a sensor system includes a sensing surface and an array of pressure sensors arranged on the sensing surface. The array of pressure sensors includes at least one pressure sensor is parallel to the sensing surface, at least one pressure sensor is angled between parallel and perpendicular to the sensing surface, and at least one pressure sensor is perpendicular to the sensing surface. The pressure sensors are micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) barometric pressure sensors.

Input devices having a deformable membrane and methods of their use are disclosed. In one embodiment, an input device includes a body, a deformable membrane coupled to the body such that the body and the deformable membrane define an enclosure filled with a medium, and an internal sensor disposed within the enclosure, the internal sensor having a field of view configured to be directed through the medium and toward a bottom surface of the deformable membrane. The input device further includes a controller configured to receive an output signal from the internal sensor corresponding to a deformation in the deformable membrane, determine a gesture based on the output signal from the internal, and provide a gesture signal corresponding to the gesture.

A robot system and method for controlling a robot, wherein during learning, a detection unit detects, as waveform data for learning, the contact state when a socket is caused to contact a set position of the head of a bolt and is caused to rotate around the set position within a set movement range. A learning unit learns a plurality of detected sets of the waveform data for learning and writes the learning results to a determination unit. During practical operations, the determination unit recognizes the amount that the socket slips with respect to the bolt on the basis of actual waveform data indicating the change in the contact state when the socket is in contact with the head of the bolt and the written learning results.

Robots and sensor systems having a compliant member for maintaining the position of a sensor are disclosed. In one embodiment, a robot includes a rigid surface, one or more compliant members attached to the rigid surface, and a sensor device. The sensor device includes an inflatable diaphragm operable to be disposed around the one or more compliant members, the inflatable diaphragm having a port, and a pressure sensor fluidly coupled to the port and operable to detect a pressure within the inflatable diaphragm. The one or more compliant members prevent lateral movement and rotational movement of the sensor device.

Pressure sensors and robots incorporating pressure sensors are disclosed. In one embodiment, a pressure sensor device includes a base layer, a deformable layer bonded to the base layer such that the base layer and the deformable layer define at least one inflatable chamber, and at least one pressure sensor fluidly coupled to the at least one inflatable chamber and operable to produce a signal indicative of a pressure within the at least one inflatable chamber.

A robot includes a rail system, a body structure coupled to the rail system, a first arm coupled to a first side of the body structure, one or more first arm actuators providing the first arm with multiple degrees of freedom, a second arm coupled to a second side of the body structure, one or more second arm actuators providing the second arm with multiple degrees of freedom, a lift actuator operable to move the body structure along the rail system, and a tilt structure coupled to the body structure. The first arm actuators and the second arm actuators are operable to wrap the first arm and the second arm around an object and hold the object against the body structure. The tilt structure is operable to tilt the body structure. The lift actuator is operable to move the body structure such that the object is lifted.

Robots for lifting objects are disclosed. In one embodiment, a robot includes a rail system, a body structure coupled to the rail system, a first arm coupled to a first side of the body structure, one or more first arm actuators providing the first arm with multiple degrees of freedom, a second arm coupled to a second side of the body structure, one or more second arm actuators providing the second arm with multiple degrees of freedom, and a lift actuator operable to move the body structure along the rail system. The one or more first arm actuators and the one or more second arm actuators are operable to wrap the first arm and the second arm around an object and hold the object against the body structure. The lift actuator is operable to move the body structure such that the object is lifted on the rail system.

Structures and sensor assemblies having engagement structures for securing a compliant substrate assembly are disclosed. In one embodiment, a sensor assembly includes a compliant substrate assembly having a base layer, and a deformable layer heat-sealed to the base layer such that the base layer and the deformable layer define at least one inflatable chamber. The sensor assembly further includes a first member proximate to a first edge of the compliant substrate assembly, a second member proximate to a second edge of the compliant substrate assembly, wherein the second edge is opposite the first edge, and at least one pressure sensor fluidly coupled to the at least one inflatable chamber and operable to produce a signal indicative of a pressure within the at least one inflatable chamber.

[Object] To provide a control apparatus, a robot apparatus, a control method and a program for a robot apparatus that can detect and grip an end portion of a piece of cloth not spread.

[Solving Means] A control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes an acquisition unit, an operation command generation unit, and a determination unit. The acquisition unit acquires an output of a first pressure distribution sensor arranged on a gripping surface of a first hand and an output of a second pressure distribution sensor arranged on a gripping surface of a second hand. The operation command generation unit generates a first gripping command for causing the second hand to grip a first predetermined portion of the flexible thin object gripped by the first hand and a first movement command for moving the second hand relative to the flexible thin object in a predetermined direction from the first predetermined portion while keeping a gripping operation of the flexible thin object by the second hand. The determination unit determines whether or not the second hand reaches an end portion of the flexible thin object on the basis of the output of the second pressure distribution sensor.

An intelligent optical fiber tactile sounding system and a method thereof, and belongs to the field of intelligent optical fiber sensing. The system includes a flexible optical fiber tactile sensing array, a photoelectric detection system, an intelligent pressure analysis software and an acoustic emission system; a small-scale distributed tactile sensing array is constructed by embedding a fiber-core mismatched optical fiber interferometric sensor into a flexible substrate material and performing sensing region division for an asymmetrical structure with an optical fiber structure as a delimiting line; a tactile sensor transmits tactile signals to the photoelectric detection system in the form of optical signals, the photoelectric detection system inputs these pressure signals into the intelligent pressure analysis software to determine a region and a size of a tactile source, and then sends an instruction to the acoustic emission system to enable the acoustic emission system to emit different sounds.