Alted
A dual-arm cobot with capacitive skin, open architecture, and state-of-the-art sensor technology – developed in just seven months: The TRX7 project, led by the French laboratory LIRMM/CNRS and funded by the national Equipex+ TIRREX program, sets new standards in collaborative robotics.
The open-source cobot platform, developed in record time, enables a new level of sensitivity and opens up new possibilities for research groups worldwide in the field of human-robot interaction. The basis for the project's success: the innovative SensoJoints from Sensodrive.
Sensors that open up new avenues of research
A special feature of the TRX7 is the integration of soft capacitive shells that dramatically expand the robot's exteroceptive perception. Combined with the high-precision force data at the actuator level provided by the SensoJoints, this creates a powerful sensor platform. This enables novel research approaches, for example in areas such as:
· Contacts anticipation and trajectory replanning
· Advanced interaction modes based on human actions detection
· Precise estimation of external forces at contact points (by combining exteroceptive sensors with the measurement of external forces at the actuator level)
Why TRX7 was only possible with SensoJoints
Instead of relying on existing industrial robots, the development team deliberately decided to build its own robot system. The decisive reasons: SensoJoints were the only all-in-one actuators on the market that combined all the required features:
· External force measurement
· Advanced control modes (including torque and impedance control)
· Friction compensation
· EtherCAT interface
These features made it possible to design a cobot with a completely new design in a very short time (less than 12 month) – open, modular, and expandable with sensors. Alted, the company responsible for the robot development, used a total of 14 SensoJoints in four different sizes for the project.
From detailed design to working prototype – in just 7 months
SensoJoints are a ready-to-install complete solution with comprehensive safety certification. Thanks to the plug-and-play functionality of the SensoJoints, the team (2 part-time engineers) was able to build a working research robot in just seven months – a milestone in cobot development. For research institutions, a comparable actuator system of this quality would otherwise involve a great deal of effort, a long development time, and considerable costs.
Sensodrive as a reliable partner – even in the details
These technological advantages made SensoJoint complete drives the first choice for the research project right from the start. In addition, Sensodrive impressed the project partners with its reliable support. "Sensodrive always responded very quickly to our technical questions and provided us with professional support and advice on both hardware and software issues," said one of the developers responsible.
Next steps: perception, control – and research
The cobot platform has already been set up – in the next phase of the project, the capacitive shells will be installed on the robot and further algorithms for perception and control will be developed. After that, the research work will begin – with a system that, thanks to SensoJoints, is designed for maximum openness and technical excellence.
