Search

Multimodal force identification by electronic skin (E‐skin) provides comprehensive and precise tactile information that can enhance elaborated functions of fine tactile discrimination, robotic manipulation, and gesture recognition. However, it remains a great challenge to realize such complicated functions from a highly simplified E‐skin sensing system. Here, mimicking the multi‐mechanoreceptor synergistic effect in human skin, a simple, thin, soft, intelligent tactile sensor composed of an asymmetrically arrangement of strain sensing units array for multimodal tactile information decoding is reported. The E‐skin type tactile sensor exhibits good performance with excellent sensitivity for shear force (2.5 N–1), vertical force (0.11 kPa–1), that enables 3D force refactoring, as well as accurate recognition of sliding force for direction tracking. Another unique feature of the E‐skin type tactile sensor is the side force screen effect, that allows the tactile sensor to yield great accuracy and a gauge factor of 1492 in strain measuring. Furthermore, integration of the sensors into E‐skin array offers the capability of capturing dynamic and real‐time stress distribution on the hand in various conditions. This work provides a new route for complex force‐sensing from the simple structure and shows great potential in robotics, human‐machine interface, and virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In article number 1800284, Jang‐Yeon Kwon and co‐workers demonstrate highly sensitive tactile sensors using a pyramid‐plug structure that enables them to detect pressure, shear force, and torsion. The wide operating range of the sensor, from soft breathing to arbitrary multiplex touching, makes it particularly promising for future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensors that detect and discriminate external mechanical forces are a principal component in the development of electronic tactile systems that can mimic the multifunctional properties of human skin. This study demonstrates a pyramid‐plug structure for highly sensitive tactile sensors that enables them to detect pressure, shear force, and torsion. The device is composed of pyramid‐patterned ionic gel inspired by neural mechanoreceptors and engraved electrodes. Based on a pyramid‐plug structure, the deformation mechanism differs between different types of external mechanical loadings. The sensor provides the high sensitivities of 1.93 kPa−1, 29.88 N−1, and 3.39 (N cm)−1, and a wide range of detection for tactile daily activity. Moreover, this tactile sensor could work through either of the two transduction methods (capacitive transduction and piezoresistive transduction). It is shown that this tactile sensor can be used to monitor changes in electrical signals ranging from those caused by human breathing to those caused by arbitrary multiplex human touching. A pyramid‐plug structure for highly sensitive tactile sensors that enables them to detect pressure, shear force, and torsion is demonstrated. This tactile sensor could work by each of the two transduction methods. The sensor provides the high sensitivities of 1.93 kPa−1, 29.88 N−1, and 3.39 (N cm)−1, and a wide range of detection for tactile daily activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]