Printed, wearable e-skin force sensor array

The need to develop electronic skin (e-skin) for robotics is essential to provide a sense of touch on a large area, the same as human skin. This paper reports the design and development of printed e-skin force sensor arrays. The performance analysis of these capacitive force sensor arrays showed a resolution of 2.5 sq. mm, localization accuracy of 99% and a sensitivity of 0.53 pF/N. The sensor patches provided significant force sensitivity and stable loading and unloading for static force. A graphical user interface is developed in open-source python software. An unsupervised machine learning algorithm trains the tactile e-skin system for different user styles to distinguish the cluster of lower and higher touch angles for improving accuracy. The proposed e-skin sensor finds application in large-area sensors and gripper pads for prosthetics in biomedical devices where the sense of touch and high resolution is needed.

Automated summary

This paper reports the design and development of printed e-skin force sensor arrays with a resolution of 2.5 sq. mm, localization accuracy of 99%, and a sensitivity of 0.53 pF/N. The sensor patches provide significant force sensitivity and stable loading and unloading for static force. The proposed e-skin sensor finds application in large-area sensors and gripper pads for prosthetics in biomedical devices where the sense of touch and high resolution is needed.