Title :
Development of a multi-modal, flexible tactile sensing skin using polymer micromachining
Author :
Engel, J. ; Chen, J. ; Chang Liu
Author_Institution :
Micro & Nanotechnol. Lab., Illinois Univ., Urbana, IL, USA
Abstract :
Inspired by the superior functionality of biological skin, we report a first multi-modal, flexible, and robust tactile sensing skin based on polymer substrates. The demonstrated device successfully incorporates multiple sensor modalities into a compact "node" for evaluating contact forces and film curvature, as well as the relative hardness, thermal conductivity, and temperature of the contacted object. Sensing is accomplished via thin film metal gold heaters, nickel RTDs (Resistance Temperature Device), and NiCr (nichrome) strain gauges. Built on a micromachined polyimide (DuPont Kapton HN200) film, the sensors provide qualitative measurements of contact object properties. Experimental characterization of the sensors\´ performance presented.
Keywords :
aluminium; chromium alloys; gold; hardness; metallic thin films; nickel; nickel alloys; polymer films; strain gauges; tactile sensors; temperature sensors; thermal conductivity; NiCr; NiCr-Ni-Au-Al; contact forces; film curvature; flexible tactile sensing skin; hardness; multimodal; nickel resistance temperature device; polyimide film; polymer micromachining; polymer substrates; robust tactile sensing skin; sensor modalities; strain gauges; thermal conductivity; thin film metal gold heaters; Biosensors; Micromachining; Polymers; Robustness; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Skin; Substrates; Temperature sensors; Thermal conductivity; Thermal sensors;
Conference_Titel :
TRANSDUCERS, Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, 12th International Conference on, 2003
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7731-1
DOI :
10.1109/SENSOR.2003.1216943
