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SonyPatent applicationRobots & automationInterest 6/10

Sony patents robot foot with sensors to detect ground pressure

Sony describes a robot foot design that uses a spring-like material between the top and bottom parts to allow for flexible movement. Two distance sensors measure how much this gap changes, helping the robot sense the forces from the ground it is walking on.

Why it mattersThis design aims to help robots walk more naturally by detecting surface reactions with a simple structure, which is key for developing stable humanoid or quadruped robots.

In the filing’s own words

There are provided a foot structure for a robot and a robot that suffer small restrictions and are capable of detecting reactive forces from a walking surface with a simple structure. A foot includes an elastic member attached to a sole member and elastically supporting an instep member, a first range sensor disposed on one of the instep member and the sole member, for measuring the distance up to the other of the instep member and the sole member, and a second range sensor disposed on the one of the instep member and the sole member at a position different from the first range sensor, for measuring the distance up to the other of the instep member and the sole member.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A foot structure provided on a lower end of a leg of a robot, the foot structure comprising: an instep member joined to the leg; a sole member disposed beneath the instep member, and configured to contact a walking surface; an elastic member attached to the sole member and elastically supporting the instep member; a first range sensor disposed on one of the instep member or the sole member, the first range sensor configured to measure a distance to the other of the instep member or the sole member; and a second range sensor disposed on the one of the instep member or the sole member at a position different from the first range sensor, the second range sensor configured to measure a distance to the other of the instep member or the sole member.

Facts

Company
Sony (Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.)
Official title
FOOT STRUCTURE FOR ROBOT AND ROBOT
Publication number
US20260277223A1
Application number
19669439
Filed
May 6, 2026
Published
Sep 17, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
20

Classified under

G05D 1/495 Physics & computingB62D 57/032 Operations & transportG01B 7/15 Physics & computingG05D 2109/12 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.