An ultralight, tiny, flexible six-axis force/torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulations
Abstract Multi-dimensional mechanoreceptors are crucial for both humans and robots, providing omnidirectional force/torque senses to ensure dexterous and precise manipulations. Current six-axis force/torque sensors are bulky, heavy, and rigid with complicated sensing structures and high-cost manufac...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60861-8 |
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| author | Qian Mao Zijian Liao Shiqiang Liu Jinfeng Yuan Rong Zhu |
| author_facet | Qian Mao Zijian Liao Shiqiang Liu Jinfeng Yuan Rong Zhu |
| author_sort | Qian Mao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Multi-dimensional mechanoreceptors are crucial for both humans and robots, providing omnidirectional force/torque senses to ensure dexterous and precise manipulations. Current six-axis force/torque sensors are bulky, heavy, and rigid with complicated sensing structures and high-cost manufacture. Although flexible force sensors have emerged recently, their perceptive dimension and performance are limited and still unsatisfactory for practical applications. Here, we propose an ultralight (0.30 g), tiny (fingertip size), and flexible six-axis force/torque sensor with a simple structure and low-cost fabrication. The sensor accurately perceives six-dimensional force/torque via capturing the spatial strain field of an elastic piezo-thermic material utilizing web-like scattered thin-film thermoreceptors. Integrating the sensor on the fingertip of humans or robots, we or robots can dexterously manipulate objects (e.g., open bottle cap), play games, and accomplish human-robot collaborative operations via easy fingertip-touch, demonstrating a broad prospect in applications of helping disabled and elderly people, intelligent robots, and virtual reality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a9119e94ec0f45da80b3365b1adc3553 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-a9119e94ec0f45da80b3365b1adc35532025-08-20T03:45:31ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-011611910.1038/s41467-025-60861-8An ultralight, tiny, flexible six-axis force/torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulationsQian Mao0Zijian Liao1Shiqiang Liu2Jinfeng Yuan3Rong Zhu4State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua UniversityState Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua UniversityAbstract Multi-dimensional mechanoreceptors are crucial for both humans and robots, providing omnidirectional force/torque senses to ensure dexterous and precise manipulations. Current six-axis force/torque sensors are bulky, heavy, and rigid with complicated sensing structures and high-cost manufacture. Although flexible force sensors have emerged recently, their perceptive dimension and performance are limited and still unsatisfactory for practical applications. Here, we propose an ultralight (0.30 g), tiny (fingertip size), and flexible six-axis force/torque sensor with a simple structure and low-cost fabrication. The sensor accurately perceives six-dimensional force/torque via capturing the spatial strain field of an elastic piezo-thermic material utilizing web-like scattered thin-film thermoreceptors. Integrating the sensor on the fingertip of humans or robots, we or robots can dexterously manipulate objects (e.g., open bottle cap), play games, and accomplish human-robot collaborative operations via easy fingertip-touch, demonstrating a broad prospect in applications of helping disabled and elderly people, intelligent robots, and virtual reality.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60861-8 |
| spellingShingle | Qian Mao Zijian Liao Shiqiang Liu Jinfeng Yuan Rong Zhu An ultralight, tiny, flexible six-axis force/torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulations Nature Communications |
| title | An ultralight, tiny, flexible six-axis force/torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulations |
| title_full | An ultralight, tiny, flexible six-axis force/torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulations |
| title_fullStr | An ultralight, tiny, flexible six-axis force/torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulations |
| title_full_unstemmed | An ultralight, tiny, flexible six-axis force/torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulations |
| title_short | An ultralight, tiny, flexible six-axis force/torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulations |
| title_sort | ultralight tiny flexible six axis force torque sensor enables dexterous fingertip manipulations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60861-8 |
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