Flexible-foam-based capacitive sensor arrays for object detection at low cost

Polymer foams are used in the automotive and construction industries for thermal insulation, vibration attenuation, and pressure absorption, due to their lightweight structure, thermal characteristics and low manufacturing costs. These foams have higher elasticity in their cross sections than bulk polymers, which makes them the preferred mount for capacitive sensor arrays. The authors describe a flexible pressure-sensitive surface mounted on packaging foam. The elastic properties of the foam are presented along with the sensor array's weight sensitivity. The authors illustrate an inventory management application where objects on display can be detected through their weights. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.