A capacitive sensor assembly for a robot to prevent damage to the robot
when it moves in an undesired manner is disclosed. The robot may be used
in conjunction with semiconductor fabrication applications. The
capacitive sensor assembly can include a hit contact, one or more fixed
contacts, one or more damping springs, and a capacitive sensor. The hit
contact comes into contact with a barrier as a result of undesired
movement by the robot. The damping springs are compressed against the
fixed contacts when the hit contact comes into contact with the barrier.
The capacitive sensor has a capacitance that changes as the hit contact
comes into contact with the barrier. The capacitance of the capacitive
sensor is used to detect the robot coming into contact with the barrier,
so that damage to the robot can be prevented.