Prospects of VLSI on robot sensors

It is shown how sensor research for robotics has evolved from a mechanical discipline towards the area of artificial intelligence. VLSI plays a key role in this development, where the boundaries between sensing and signal processing are gradually fading. The development of micromachining anticipates a logical follow-up of the integration of sensing and signal conditioning: the integration of the excitation of actuation. Where proprioceptive sensing still needs accurate, metric information, exteroceptive sensing is increasingly realized by sensors designed mainly for characteristic structural information such as images and signatures. Silicon remains the most important building material for smart sensors and actuators. However, there is an increasing interest in other materials that can be used in combination with silicon, offering new possibilities for VLSI sensors and actuators. Piezoelectric polymers have already proved to be suitable materials for this purpose