A large area force sensor for smart skin applications

This paper presents the construction and theory of operation of a large area, flexible, tactile sensor and its applications. The sensing mechanism is based on the novel contact piezoresistive effect. Furthermore, the sensor's resolution, size and shape can be easily tailored to the applications' requirements. This versatility facilitates the use of the sensor in smart applications where tactile information is used to create system intelligence. Future improvements in the tactile sensing arena are discussed along with the potential benefits of using polymer electronics.