{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T15:52:59Z","timestamp":1776441179156,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,6]],"date-time":"2011-12-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1323129600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This paper describes the design and calibration of a thimble that measures the forces applied by a user during manipulation of virtual and real objects. Haptic devices benefit from force measurement capabilities at their end-point. However, the heavy weight and cost of force sensors prevent their widespread incorporation in these applications. The design of a lightweight, user-adaptable, and cost-effective thimble with four contact force sensors is described in this paper. The sensors are calibrated before being placed in the thimble to provide normal and tangential forces. Normal forces are exerted directly by the fingertip and thus can be properly measured. Tangential forces are estimated by sensors strategically placed in the thimble sides. Two applications are provided in order to facilitate an evaluation of sensorized thimble performance. These applications focus on: (i) force signal edge detection, which determines task segmentation of virtual object manipulation, and (ii) the development of complex object manipulation models, wherein the mechanical features of a real object are obtained and these features are then reproduced for training by means of virtual object manipulation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s111211495","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,6]],"date-time":"2011-12-06T11:17:50Z","timestamp":1323170270000},"page":"11495-11509","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Design of a Lightweight, Cost Effective Thimble-Like Sensor for Haptic Applications Based on Contact Force Sensors"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Manuel","family":"Ferre","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Automation and Robotics CAR UPM-CSIC, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid, ETSII-Autom\u00e1tica., C\/. Jos\u00e9 Guti\u00e9rrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ignacio","family":"Galiana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Automation and Robotics CAR UPM-CSIC, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid, ETSII-Autom\u00e1tica., C\/. Jos\u00e9 Guti\u00e9rrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rafael","family":"Aracil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Automation and Robotics CAR UPM-CSIC, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid, ETSII-Autom\u00e1tica., C\/. Jos\u00e9 Guti\u00e9rrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"448","article-title":"Experimental measurement of the force exerted during spinal manipulation using the Thompson technique","volume":"13","author":"Hessell","year":"1990","journal-title":"J. Manipulat. Physiol. Therapeut"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"386","DOI":"10.1016\/j.medengphy.2010.10.019","article-title":"A modified low-cost haptic interface as a tool for complex tactile stimulation","volume":"33","author":"Panarese","year":"2011","journal-title":"Med. Eng. Phys"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Webster, J.G. (1999). The Measurement, Instrumentation and Sensors Handbook, CRC Press.","DOI":"10.1201\/9781003040019"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Beeby, S.P., Ensel, G., Kraft, M., and White, N. (2004). MEMS Mechanical Sensors, Artech House. Microelectromechanical Systems Series;.","DOI":"10.1108\/sr.2004.24.3.319.2"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5489","DOI":"10.3390\/s110505489","article-title":"A large area tactile sensor patch based on commercial force sensors","volume":"11","author":"Barquero","year":"2011","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"140","DOI":"10.1109\/86.593280","article-title":"A low-cost instrumented glove for monitoring forces during object manipulation","volume":"5","author":"Castro","year":"2002","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Rehabil. Eng"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apergo.2007.05.003","article-title":"Evaluation of handle shapes for screw driving","volume":"39","author":"Kong","year":"2008","journal-title":"Appl. Ergon"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8836","DOI":"10.3390\/s110908836","article-title":"Detailed study of amplitude nonlinearity in piezoresistive force sensors","volume":"11","author":"Emmi","year":"2011","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1973","DOI":"10.1109\/TBME.2008.919715","article-title":"Accelerometers and force sensing resistors for optimal control of walking of a hemiplegic","volume":"55","author":"Dosen","year":"2008","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"608","DOI":"10.1109\/TITB.2011.2140378","article-title":"Determining level of postural control in young adults using force-sensing resistors","volume":"15","author":"Gopalai","year":"2011","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Inform. Technol. Biomed"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1109\/JSEN.2008.917481","article-title":"State-of-the-art in force and tactile sensing for minimally invasive surgery","volume":"8","author":"Puangmali","year":"2008","journal-title":"Sensors J"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"416","DOI":"10.1109\/TMECH.2008.2001690","article-title":"A new admittance-type haptic interface for bimanual manipulations","volume":"13","author":"Peer","year":"2011","journal-title":"IEEE\/ASME Trans. Mechatron"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"014505","DOI":"10.1115\/1.4001274","article-title":"Disturbance-observer-based force estimation for haptic feedback","volume":"133","author":"Gupta","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Dynam. Syst. Meas. Control"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"922","DOI":"10.1109\/TIE.2006.874262","article-title":"Analysis and experimental validation of force bandwidth for force control","volume":"53","author":"Katsura","year":"2006","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1109\/MCG.2004.1274062","article-title":"Haptics in minimally invasive surgical simulation and training","volume":"24","author":"Basdogan","year":"2004","journal-title":"IEEE Comput. Graph. Appl"},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"Massie, T., and Salisbury, J. (1994, January 9\u201311). The Phantom Haptic Interface: A Device for Probing Virtual Objects. Chicago, IL, USA."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"256","DOI":"10.1109\/TRO.2005.862487","article-title":"Stability of haptic rendering: Discretization, quantization, time delay, and coulomb effects","volume":"22","author":"Diolaiti","year":"2006","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Robot"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Monroy, M., Ferre, M., Barrio, J., Eslava, V., and Galiana, I. (2009, January 14\u201317). Sensorized Thimble for Haptics Applications. Malaga, Spain.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICMECH.2009.4957201"},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Flexiforce Sensor. Available online: http:\/\/www.tekscan.com\/pdf\/A201-force-sensor.pdf (access on 7 November 2011)."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1109\/TIM.2010.2065690","article-title":"Segmentation of bimanual virtual object manipulation tasks using multifinger haptic interfaces","volume":"60","author":"Ortego","year":"2011","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas"},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"ATI Sensor. Available online: http:\/\/www.ati-ia.com\/products\/ft\/sensors.aspx (access on 7 November 2011)."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-642-14064-8_10","article-title":"Estimation of normal and tangential manipulation forces by using contact force sensors","volume":"6191","author":"Galiana","year":"2010","journal-title":"Lect. Note. Comput. Sci"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"808","DOI":"10.1109\/TMECH.2011.2159807","article-title":"Haptic device for capturing and simulating hand manipulation rehabilitation","volume":"16","author":"Ferre","year":"2011","journal-title":"IEEE\/ASME Trans. Mechatron"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1044","DOI":"10.1016\/S0363-5023(03)00425-8","article-title":"The biomechanical properties of the finger metacarpophalangeal joints to varus and valgus stress","volume":"28","author":"Werner","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Hand Surg"}],"container-title":["Sensors"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/11\/12\/11495\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T21:58:14Z","timestamp":1760219894000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/11\/12\/11495"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,6]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,12]]}},"alternative-id":["s111211495"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/s111211495","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-8220"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-8220","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,6]]}}}