Robotiq Inc. Force/torque sensor, and for teaching and Paten
US9696221B2 · Robotiq Inc.
- Patent number
- US9696221B2
- Applicant
- Robotiq Inc.
- Filing date
- 2013-05-31
- CPC class
- G01L 5/16
- Pillar
- Brain
A multi-axis force/torque sensor and teaching method that lets operators guide a manipulator by hand while registering waypoints for playback — core to intuitive cobot programming.
Claims
Claims cover a force/torque transducer structure and methods of interpreting operator-applied forces to move a robot and record taught configurations.
Technical analysis
Hand-guiding is the UX that made cobots approachable. Robotiq’s FT teaching IP sits at the intersection of sensor hardware and programming workflow — still relevant to every UR/KUKA-style collaborative cell.
Commercial impact
Affects the accessory and programming ecosystem around cobots (FT sensors, hand-guiding kits). Integrators still evaluate these methods when specifying teach pendants vs free-drive modes.
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