Elastomer-embedded MEMS Tactile Sensor for Detecting Normal Force, Bending, and Torsion in Grasping Motion

The quantification of human grasping mechanism in daily life and sports can lead to the improvement in product functionality and universalization of movement skills. For this purpose, it is necessary to develop a sensor that has sufficient flexibility to deal with complex curved surfaces during grasping and to detect deformations such as bending and twisting, along with the magnitude and direction of the load. In this study, an ultracompact tactile sensor was embedded in a flexible elastomer sheet, and its response to load, bending, and torsional deformation was measured and investigated. As a result, it was demonstrated that this sensor can be used to obtain not only the response to force, but also the magnitude and direction of bending and torsion. © 2024 The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.