• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.27 no.10
• /
• pp.61-68
• /
• 2010

In order to let the humanoid robot walk on the uneven terrains, the robot's foot should have the similar structure and function as human's. The intelligent foot should be made up of toes and heel. When it walks on the uneven terrains, the foot's sole senses the force and adjusts foot's position before robot losing his balance. In this paper, the force sensors of robot's intelligent foot for having the similar structure and function like human are developed. The heel 3-axis force/moment sensor and toe force sensors for humanoid robot's intelligent foot is developed, and the characteristic tests of them are carried out. As a result of characteristic test, the interference error of the heel 3-axis force/moment sensor is less than 2.2%. It is thought that the developed force sensors could be used to measure the reaction forces which is applied the toes and the heel of a humanoid robot.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.285-292
• /
• 2015

This paper presents a wireless ground reaction force (GRF) sensing system for ambulatory GRF recording. The system is largely divided into three parts: force sensing modules based on optical sensor, outsole type frame, and embedded system for wireless communication. The force sensing module has advantages of the low height, robustness to the moment interference, and stable response in long term use. In simulation study, the strain and stress properties were examined to satisfy the requirements of the GRF sensing system. Four sensing modules were mounted on the toe, ball, and heel of foot shaped frame, respectively. The GRF signals were extracted using Micrpcontroller unit and transferred to the smart phone via Bluetooth communication. We measured the GRF during the normal walking for the validation of the continuous recording capability. The recorded GRF was comparable to the off the shelf stationary force plate.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.96-103
• /
• 2009

This paper describes a humanoid robot's intelligent foot with two six-axis force/moment sensors. The developed humanoid robots didn't get the intelligent feet for walking on uneven surface safely. In order to walk on uneven surface safely, the robot should measure the reaction forces and moments applied on the sales of the feet, and they should be controlled with the measured the forces and moments. In this paper, an intelligent foot for a humanoid robot was developed. First, the body of foot was designed to be rotated the toe and the heel to all directions, second, the six-axis force/moment sensors were manufactured, third, the high-speed controller was manufactured using DSP(digital signal processor), fourth, the humanoid robot's intelligent foot was manufactured using the body of foot, two six-axis force/moment sensors and the high-speed controller, finally, the characteristic test of the intelligent foot was carried out. It is thought that the foot could be used for a humanoid robot.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.15-22
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This research investigated falls due to obstacles that occur among elderly people by assessing changes in the values of plantar foot force, peak force, and plantar foot pressure in elderly subjects while they were stepping over obstacles of different heights. Methods: The subjects were 20 elderly people aged 70-80 years; Pressure was measured on flat ground(0 cm), and after installing obstacles of 8 cm and 12 cm using the F-scan system, which is a resistance-type pressure sensor. A one-way analysis of variance was performed to compare pressure on each part of the foot according to various heights after collecting data using the Tekscan program. The least significant difference test was used for the post-hoc analysis, A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The force value for the toe area (parts 1, and 2) and contact pressure increased significantly with the 12 cm obstacle (p<0.05). The peak force value and the peak contact pressure for part 1 increased significantly with the 12 cm obstacle (p<0.05). Conclusion: Larger changes appeared in the functions and structure of the foot while subjects walked over obstacles of different heights compared to flatland walking. This result suggests that people have safety strategies to prevent falls, and that there is a need for a more realistic approach through practice to overcome obstacles of various heights to prevent falls.