Giving ABB Robots a Sense of Touch

Robots once pushed blindly to a set point. ABB YuMi and Integrated Force Control let them feel parts, and new tactile skins could bring touch to home robots.

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS

Chat With Robot

9/23/20261 min read

Fine assembly has always relied on touch. A watchmaker can feel a tiny screw bite, and a fitter nudges a car door until it drops onto its hinges. Early robots could not feel anything, so they moved to a programmed point and pushed, whether or not the part was actually there.

Black and white photo of a watchmaker wearing a head magnifier working at a small table

A watchmaker at work, relying on feel and a magnifier. Photo: Yılmaz Kilim / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

That kept them on jobs where every part arrived in exactly the same place. For small parts, ABB's YuMi opened things up: its padded arms and built-in collision sensing let it assemble small electronics right next to people and stop when it bumps into something.

ABB YuMi dual-arm robot working at a bench next to a woman in a lab coat

ABB YuMi assembling small parts beside a lab worker. Photo: ABB

Researchers now want robot hands that feel almost as much as ours. On September 12, The Robot Report ran a piece arguing that ultrasound sensors placed under a robot hand's skin can deliver touch data without wearing out. UltraSense Systems started shipping evaluation kits for its version in June.

Black four-fingered robot hand with tactile sensor pads on its fingers

A robot hand fitted with uSkin tactile sensors on its fingertips. Photo: XELA Robotics / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

ABB already sells a form of touch for heavier work. Integrated Force Control puts a force sensor between the robot's wrist and its tool, so the arm can feel its way through grinding or a tight-fit assembly. ABB's Dynamic Assembly Pack combines that sensor with cameras for final car assembly.

Robot gripper installing a part inside a car body on an assembly line

ABB's Dynamic Assembly Pack uses cameras and force sensing in final car assembly. Photo: ABB

On a moving line, the cameras track the car body as it rolls in and the force sensor corrects the last few millimeters as a seat or wheel goes on. ABB says this handles the conveyor vibration and speed changes that used to keep robots out of final assembly.

White ABB industrial robots next to a dark car body on a yellow carrier

ABB robots working on a car body in final assembly. Photo: ABB

A house is full of things that break or squash, like eggs and wine glasses. A home robot will need touch at least as much as a factory arm does. My guess is that skin sensors like the ultrasound ones, combined with wrist force control like ABB's, will be how it tells a light bulb from a tennis ball.

Humanoid robot hand gently holding a light bulb against a blue background

The Shadow Dexterous Hand holding a light bulb. Photo: Richard Greenhill and Hugo Elias / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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