Out-of-Plane Flexible Electronic Whisker Array

This study proposes an out-of-plane electronic whisker (e-whisker) array that integrates a three-dimension whisker structure using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and nanocarbon-based strain sensors. The strain sensor is fabricated by a laser-induced graphene from polyimide film and transfer process from polyimide to the PDMS. Fundamental characteristics of an out-of-plane electronic whisker such as sensitivity and response time are studied as well as the demonstration of e-whisker array. By considering the device structure, multiple directional force detection is realized for the first time. Based on the properties of the sensors, simple and low-cost three-dimensional device fabrication process works well for the e-whisker application.