DEVELOPMENT OF A PNEUMATIC CUSHION WITH AN IMPACT SENSOR

Abstract In this paper, a pneumatic cushion to function as an impact force sensor able to be installed in a manipulator is proposed and developed. First, we experimentally examined the characteristics of the pneumatic cushion itself, and obtained an empirical formula. Next, we performed a collision experiment on a manipulator in which the pneumatic cushion was installed, using the empirical formula and human pain tolerance to calculate the threshold. The buffer performance of the pneumatic cushion and its effectiveness as an impact force sensor were demonstrated by the experiment.