A Novel Technique To Realize a Flexible Tactile Sensor

A cost-effective, flexible tactile sensor with a PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) layer with a nanostructure pattern serving as the dielectric layer has been demonstrated. The creation of the PDMS layer with a nanostructure design uses an anodized porous alumina (APA) layer as a mold. The APA is created by electrochemically etching the aluminum material in oxalic acid. Due to the great elasticity and deformability of the nanostructures on the PDMS layer, the created tactile sensor device demonstrated remarkable sensitivity. For a pressure of 0.1 kPa, the tactile sensing device was shown to have a sensitivity of 1.1 kPa-1. The sensor can find applications in tactile sensing in low-pressure ranges (0-0.3kPa), where soft touch is desirable for non-destructive sensing.