A Gradiometric Magnetic Force Sensor Immune to Stray Magnetic Fields for Robotic Hands and Grippers

To enable precise manipulation of fragile objects, robots need the sense of touch. Localized sensing of the 3D force vector with a few mN of resolution is desired. Magnetic force sensors, consisting of a magnet embedded in an elastomer and a 3D magnetometer, were demonstrated as desirable candidates. These prior-art sensors measure the local 3D magnetic field at a single sensing pixel. Hence, they cannot distinguish between the signal and stray magnetic fields. Any stray field directly leaks into the force readout signal path. This letter introduces a design immune to stray magnetic fields. The sensor uses multiple magnetic pixels, and operates on the gradient of the magnetic field. The pixels and conditioning electronics are fully integrated on chip. The 3D force calculation is based on a polynomial model fitted to a calibration data set. The impact of a 2-mT magnetic stray field on the force output is limited to 0.3% of the full scale—about two orders magnitude improvement over the prior art. The force resolution is 2.7 mN and remains competitive. Furthermore, an on-chip temperature sensor and an algorithm are used to compensate the intrinsic thermal drift in the range 0–50${}^{\circ }$C. To validate the proper force regulation in spite of a nearby magnet, we integrated our prototype into a robotic hand. Our results demonstrate the robustness of 3D magnetic force sensors in the presence of real-world parasitic disturbances.