Detection of ground reaction force using a miniaturized inductive displacement sensor

Abstract

In this paper, we present a miniaturized version of a previously developed ground reaction force sensor. The sensor is composed of two pairs of meander coils detecting displacement in a plane. One pair of coils determines vertical displacement, proportional to normal force distribution, while the other pair of coils determines horizontal displacement, proportional to tangential force distribution. The advantage of miniaturized sensor is easier implementation in the foot of humanoid robot due to its dimensions. A new simulation tool was developed to accurately calculate the input inductance variation.