Highly Stretchable and Sensitive Multimodal Tactile Sensor Based on Conductive Rubber Composites to Monitor Pressure and Temperature

Stretchable and flexible tactile sensors have been extensively investigated for a variety of applications due to their outstanding sensitivity, flexibility, and biocompatibility compared with conventional tactile sensors. However, implementing stretchable multimodal sensors with high performance is still a challenge. In this study, a stretchable multimodal tactile sensor based on conductive rubber composites was fabricated. Because of the pressure-sensitive and temperature-sensitive effects of the conductive rubber composites, the developed sensor can simultaneously measure pressure and temperature, and the sensor presented high sensitivity (0.01171 kPa(-1) and 2.46-30.56%/degrees C) over a wide sensing range (0-110 kPa and 30-90 degrees C). The sensor also exhibited outstanding performance in terms of processability, stretchability, and repeatability. Furthermore, the fabricated stretchable multimodal tactile sensor did not require complex signal processing or a transmission circuit system. The strategy for stacking and layering conductive rubber composites of this work may supply a new idea for building multifunctional sensor-based electronics.

Automated summary

In this study, a stretchable multimodal tactile sensor based on conductive rubber composites was fabricated, which could simultaneously measure pressure and temperature with high sensitivity and outstanding processability, stretchability, and repeatability.