Multi-component force sensor based on multiplexed fibre Bragg grating strain sensors

The control of robots in electromagnetically noisy environments may benefit from the use of EMI-insensitive multi-component force sensors. Multi-component force sensing is usually done with local strain measurements on an elastic transducer. We propose to use fibre Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors to perform these local strain measurements, taking advantage of their multiplexing capabilities and their immunity to electromagnetic interference. In this paper, we discuss the design and the calibration of a compact multi-component force sensor using an elastic transducing body and eight multiplexed fibre Bragg gratings. We demonstrate, for the first time, that multi-component force sensors based on multiplexed FBG strain sensors can be constructed.