Force sensor for measuring power transfer between the human body and the environment

A force sensor with capacitive readout is designed and realized for the measurement of mechanical power transfer. The ultimate aim is to integrate this in a glove that determines the complete mechanical interaction between the human hand and the environment. The sensor measures the normal force and two perpendicular moments so that it can compensate for asymmetric loads. The fabrication process is based on silicon fusion bonding and allows the realization of extremely small gaps (250 nm). This, in combination with mechanical amplification due to the sensor structure, results in a large sensitivity of 16 pF/N and a full-scale range of 50 N.