A Miniature Force Sensor for Prosthetic Hands

Tactile sensing is an important part of the development of new prosthetic hands. A number of approaches to establishing an afferent pathway back to the patient for tactile information are becoming available including tactors and direct stimulation of the afferent nerves. Tactile information can also be used by low-level control systems that perform simple tasks for the patient such as establishing a stable grasp and maintaining the grasping forces needed to hold an object. This abstract reports on the design of a small fingertip load cell based on semi-conductor strain gauges. Since this load cell is so small (measuring only 8.5mm in diameter and 6.25 mm in height), it easily fits into the tip of an anthropomorphic mechatronic hand. This load cell is tested by comparing a time series of force and moment data with reference data acquired from a much larger high-precision commercial load cell.