Applications

Medical & Surgical

Haptic feedback, tissue interaction control, rehabilitation sensing, and instrument force characterization.

ResearchInstrument TestingHaptics0.025 N

Instrument Testing and Research Sensing

Surgical instrument and rehabilitation device development programs measure insertion forces, grip actuation loads, and tip contact forces during bench validation. These forces often fall below 5 N and require sub-0.1 N resolution across all six axes simultaneously. The AXIOM-500 at 0.025 N Fx/Fy resolution and 500 Hz output rate captures force profiles that single-axis load cells miss, while 6-DOF measurement reveals off-axis loading that affects instrument fatigue life and user perception.

Benchtop instrument validation rig with AXIOM sensor at the wrist of a 6-axis arm, laparoscopic grasper pressing into an amber silicone tissue phantom in an R&D lab

Haptic Feedback Platforms and Rehabilitation Research

Haptic rendering requires low-latency, low-noise 6-axis data to feed vibrotactile or kinesthetic feedback actuators without introducing perceptible phase lag. Rehabilitation exoskeleton studies measure patient interaction forces to adapt assistance levels; the sensor must resolve the difference between voluntary patient effort and passive limb weight. AXIOM's 500 Hz output and single-cable RS-485 reduce integration complexity on platforms where every gram and wire count.

Researcher teleoperating a benchtop surgical manipulator via a parallel-link haptic console, AXIOM sensor at the slave arm wrist feeding a live force trace shown on the monitor

Key Metrics

0.025 N

Force Resolution (Fx/Fy, AXIOM-500)

500 Hz

Max Output Rate

6-DOF

Axes Measured

Challenges

Instrument validation programs need repeatable multi-axis force data at sub-Newton resolution; most benchtop load cells are single-axis and cannot capture off-axis loading that affects fatigue and user perception.
Haptic rendering feedback loops run at kHz rates on the actuator side; sensor latency and noise directly determine the fidelity of rendered tissue contact.
Rehabilitation sensing must discriminate between voluntary patient effort and passive limb inertia — both of which appear at the sensor as force — requiring low noise and consistent calibration across sessions.

Outcomes

6-DOF force characterization at 0.025 N resolution replaces single-axis load cell rigs for instrument testing, capturing off-axis loading in one measurement pass.
Low-noise 500 Hz streams feed haptic rendering and adaptive assistance controllers without additional signal conditioning hardware.

AXIOM-500Coming Soon

Compact, low-range 6-axis force-torque sensor for collaborative robotics and precision assembly.

Research

Consistent, factory-calibrated 6-axis streams at 500 Hz with full cross-coupling compensation produce datasets where inter-run variance reflects the experiment, not the sensor.

Tactile learning, biomechanics, material characterization, and robotic manipulation experiments.

Tactile LearningSim-to-Real500 HzBiomechanics

Humanoid Robotics

6-DOF sensing at 500 Hz in a 200 g package lets humanoid controllers close force loops fast enough to react to unexpected ground contact within a single control cycle.

Whole-body contact feedback, balance stabilization, and reactive manipulation for humanoid platforms.

6-DOF500 HzWrist SensingBalance Control

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