Characterization of a tactile sensor using a small, embedded strain gauge

Abstract

In recent years, tactile sensors comprising flexible materials have been studied for soft robotics. Several conventional tactile sensors are based on a microchannel filled with liquid metal, for flexibility. In this study, we proposed a soft tactile sensor that is vertically embedded with a liquid metal strain gauge in an elastomer using a narrow wire mold. Despite the narrow and small design, the strain gauge can detect an applied force. In addition, the design has the potential to be arrayed in a dense setting. In this study, we evaluated our proposed tactile sensor with a single strain gauge and confirmed its sensing capability.