Evaluation of a Finger Dummy with a Built-in Sensor System for Safety Assessment

Labor shortages and low productivity demand more collaborative operation systems using industrial robots in the current global manufacturing industry. Injuries will possibly occur due to the closer interaction between the robot system and humans. In the field of skin contact safety, the techniques and methods of quantitative assessment are expected. A human dummy consisting of built-in sensors is a solution to obtain the internal physical field. In this study, a dummy finger equipped with a built-in film sensor for contact safety assessment is proposed and evaluated by experiment. The strain measurement model and strain energy sensing principle, which are the most general assessment indexes, are explained. Two kinds of contact conditions on the finger dummy, press and press with slip, are conducted for evaluation. Shear strain and vibration are both successfully measured and reflected in the signal. Measurement of the strain energy transformed from the strain is validated by comparing it with the work result obtained from the force sensor. This sensor system combined with the human body model is evaluated as potentially feasible for assessing physical contact safety.