Flexible Optoelectronic Multimodal Proximity/Pressure/Temperature Sensors with Low Signal Interference.

Abstract

Multimodal tactile sensors are a crucial part of intelligent human-machine interaction and collaboration. Simultaneous detection of proximity, pressure, and temperature on a single sensor can greatly promote the safety, interactivity and compactness of interaction systems. However, severe signal interference and complex decoupling algorithm hinder the actual applications. Here, we report a flexible optoelectronic multimodal sensor capable of detecting and decoupling proximity/pressure/temperature by integrating a light waveguide and an interdigital electrode into a compact fibrous sensor. Negligible signal interference is realized by combining heterogeneous sensing mechanisms of optics and electronics, which encodes proximity into capacitance, pressure into light intensity and temperature into resistance. The sensor exhibited a large sensing distance of 225 mm with fast responses for proximity detection, a pressure sensitivity of 0.42 N-1 , and a temperature sensitivity of 7%/°C. As a proof of concept, the doll equipped with the sensor can accurately discriminate and detect various stimuli, thus achieving safe and immersive interactions with the user. This work opens up promising paths for self-decoupled multimodal sensors and related human/machine/environment interaction applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.