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Arrayed Force Sensors Made of Paper, Elastomer, and Hydrogel Particles

Authors :
Aaron D. Mazzeo
Xiyue Zou
Akshitha Ajayan
Moustafa Ahmed
Nastassja Lopez
Tongfen Liang
Source :
Micromachines; Volume 8; Issue 12; Pages: 356, Micromachines, Micromachines, Vol 8, Iss 12, p 356 (2017)
Publication Year :
2017
Publisher :
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2017.

Abstract

This article presents a sensor for detecting the distribution of forces on a surface. The device with nine buttons consisted of an elastomer-based layer as a touch interface resting on a substrate of patterned metallized paper. The elastomer-based layer included a three-by-three array of deformable, hemispherical elements/reliefs, facing down toward an array of interdigitated capacitive sensing units on patterned metallized paper. Each hemispherical element is 20 mm in diameter and 8 mm in height. When a user applied pressure to the elastomer-based layer, the contact area between the hemispherical elements and the interdigitated capacitive sensing units increased with the deformation of the hemispherical elements. To enhance the sensitivity of the sensors, embedded particles of hydrogel in the elastomer-based layer increased the measured electrical responses. The measured capacitance increased because the effective dielectric permittivity of the hydrogel was greater than that of air. Electromechanical characterization verified that the hydrogel-filled elastomer was more sensitive to force at a low range of loads (23.4 pF/N) than elastomer alone without embedded hydrogel (3.4 pF/N), as the hydrogel reduced the effective elastic modulus of the composite material by a factor of seven. A simple demonstration suggests that the force-sensing array has the potential to contribute to wearable and soft robotic devices.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2072666X
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Micromachines; Volume 8; Issue 12; Pages: 356
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....fd1cd4230c717c89e6e9a852e6b403ca
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/mi8120356