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Design Principles for Rapid Prototyping Forces Sensors using 3D Printing.

Samuel B Kesner1, Robert D Howe

  • 1Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA, 02138 USA.

IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics : a Joint Publication of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society and the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division
|August 30, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed rapid, low-cost force sensors using 3D printing and simple components. This innovation overcomes limitations of commercial sensors for applications like robotic manipulators and medical devices.

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Biomedical Devices

Background:

  • Commercial force sensors often exceed system requirements in size, cost, and fragility.
  • Off-the-shelf sensors are not tailored for specific applications, leading to inefficiencies.
  • Rapid prototyping offers a potential solution for custom sensor development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present design principles for rapidly developing inexpensive and compact force sensors.
  • To demonstrate the fabrication of a miniature force sensor for robotic catheter systems.
  • To address the limitations of 3D printing in sensor development.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing 3D printing for rapid prototyping of sensor components.
  • Integrating metal flexures and simple displacement transducers.

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Hybrid Printing for the Fabrication of Smart Sensors
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 29, 2026

Production of a Strain-Measuring Device with an Improved 3D Printer
06:17

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Published on: January 30, 2020

Rapid and Low-cost Prototyping of Medical Devices Using 3D Printed Molds for Liquid Injection Molding
10:43

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Published on: June 27, 2014

Hybrid Printing for the Fabrication of Smart Sensors
08:35

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Published on: January 31, 2019

  • Designing 3D printable features to facilitate sensor assembly.

    • Main Results:

    • Successful design and fabrication of a miniature force sensor prototype.
    • The sensor is suitable for integration into robotic catheter systems.
    • Achieved measurement accuracy of 2% within a 10 N range.

    Conclusions:

    • 3D printing enables the cost-effective development of customized force sensors.
    • Specialized design principles are crucial for overcoming rapid prototyping limitations.
    • The developed sensor technology shows promise for advanced robotic and medical applications.