New approach to detection of incipient slip using inductive sensory system

This paper presents a new methodology for detecting incipient slip for intelligent grasping. A new inductive sensor was designed and developed to achieve this task. A full description of the structure of the new sensor is included in this paper. The three elements required for a successful robotic grasping were examined using the newly designed sensor. These elements are incipient slip, grip force and contact area. The new design of the incipient slip detector is based on the summation of changes in mutual distance in all three primary inductors of a sensor element. This can be used to determine local or micro slip for a secure and optimal grasping. In addition this sensor can be also used to detect the applied force and determine the contact area between the object and the gripping device.