Passively compliant robotic joint with embedded sensors

The essence of the conceptual design is getting the innovative projects or ideas to promise the products with best performance. It has been proved that the theory of inventive problem solution (TRIZ) is a systematic methodology for innovation. Passively compliant robotic joint design as an engineering example is illuminated in this book to show the significance and approaches of applying TRIZ into getting the creative conceptual design ideas. The main goal is to design the compliant robotic joint with conductive silicone rubber elements as internal sensors. The sensor-elements can operate as absorbers of excessive external collision force instead of springs and dampers. Therefore, this joint presents one type of safe robotic mechanisms with an internally measuring system. The sensor-elements were made by press-curing from carbon-black filled silicone rubber. The experimental results show that the greatest advantage of this material lies in its high stretchiness and high compression velocity. A new method is presented for detecting the direction of the robotic joint rotation when subjected to an external collision force.