As robots move beyond controlled environments, position feedback alone is no longer enough to manage physical interaction. This webinar explores how force, torque, and 6DoF sensing can be designed into robot architectures, balancing accuracy, stiffness, latency, mechanical integration, and durability while preparing sensing solutions for scalable production.
Overview
Robots are progressing past beyond repetitive motions in controlled environments. Now, they are moving into applications where they must manipulate objects, respond to contact, and operate under changing physical conditions. In these environments, accurate position control is only part of the picture. Engineers also need reliable information about the forces and torques acting through joints, tools, and end effectors to understand what is happening during physical interactions.
This webinar examines how force, torque, and 6DoF sensing can be designed into next-generation robotic systems. We will explore when direct measurement adds value beyond position or indirect torque estimation, how to select the appropriate sensing architecture, and why mechanical integration, stiffness, crosstalk, latency, electronics, and calibration must be considered together rather than independently.
Using real robotic sensing development examples, Ryan Young will show how engineering requirements translate into sensor architectures, from virtual design and fatigue analysis through electronics, calibration, and validation. Attendees will also see how decisions made early in development influence not only robot performance, but manufacturability, reliability, cost, and the ability to scale from prototype to production.
For more information, please visit us here.
Key Takeaways
- Understand why position feedback alone cannot fully describe robot interaction and where direct force and torque measurement adds critical physical information.
- Determine when joint torque, force or full 6DoF sensing is appropriate for your robotic architecture.
- Evaluate the engineering trade-offs between accuracy, stiffness, crosstalk, latency, packaging, durability and cost.
- Learn how to integrate sensing from mechanical design and electronics through calibration, validation and scalable production.
Speaker
Ryan Young is Global Head of Engineering – OEM Sensors at HBK, where he leads the development of custom sensing solutions for demanding OEM applications. He holds both a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and brings more than 13 years of hands-on experience in electro-mechanical sensor design and manufacturing.
Ryan joined HBM, now HBK, as a Product Development Engineer and has led the OEM Sensors engineering team since 2018. Throughout his career, he has worked directly with customers across robotics, medical, automotive and agricultural applications, developing highly customized sensing solutions from initial requirements through industrialization. His current work includes force, torque, and multi-axis sensing for next-generation robotic systems, with a particular focus on mechanical integration, performance, manufacturability, and scalable production.