Recent Advances in Tactile Sensing Technology

Abstract

Research on tactile sensing technology has been actively conducted in recent years to pave the way for the next generation of highly intelligent devices. Sophisticated tactile sensing technology has a broad range of potential applications in various fields including: (1) robotic systems with tactile sensors that are capable of situation recognition for high-risk tasks in hazardous environments; (2) tactile quality evaluation of consumer products in the cosmetic, automobile, and fabric industries that are used in everyday life; (3) robot-assisted surgery (RAS) to facilitate tactile interaction with the surgeon; and (4) artificial skin that features a sense of touch to help people with disabilities who suffer from loss of tactile sense. This review provides an overview of recent advances in tactile sensing technology, which is divided into three aspects: basic physiology associated with human tactile sensing, the requirements for the realization of viable tactile sensors, and new materials for tactile devices. In addition, the potential, hurdles, and major challenges of tactile sensing technology applications including artificial skin, medical devices, and analysis tools for human tactile perception are presented in detail. Finally, the review highlights possible routes, rapid trends, and new opportunities related to tactile devices in the foreseeable future.

Implantable Neural Interfaces and Wearable Tactile Systems for Bidirectional Neuroprosthetics Systems

“…Human mechanosensitive sensors can be divided in rapidly adapting (RA) and slowly adapting (SA) units, based on the detection of quickly and slowly changing signals, respectively. In regard to the size of the receptive field and density, receptors can be further divided in type 1—small receptive field, located on skin surface—and type 2—large receptive field, located deeper in the skin . Depending on the type of touch and the dimension of the point of contact (e.g., duration, frequency, intensity), different receptors will respond to different applied stimuli.…”

“…However, to mimic human skin, a high density of sensors is needed in small space, especially at the fingertip; this leads to a second challenge that is data reading from each sensor, the presence of a high number of wires and the avoidance of crosstalks in the sensing array. This last issue has been solved by connecting a diode (passive type) or a transistor (active type) to each sensing element, thus avoiding parasitic conduction . Moreover it is paramount to ensure on‐board signal processing units (multiplexing, signal conditioning and digitization), self‐healing and guarantee a wear‐proof and chemical‐proof device.…”

Eggshell membrane reinforced polypropylene biocomposite and its tactile assessment

“…For instance, the subjective touch-feeling perceptions have been attempted to correlate with the surface properties (e.g., average surface roughness (Ra), coefficient of friction [COF], etc.) of different products [1,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Statistical analyses (alias multivariate analyses) are being applied in different industries to correlate the subjective Woo Seok Na and Tridib Kumar Sinha have equally contributed in this work feelings of human panelists (professional or nonprofessional) with those surface properties. This technology is familiar as Kansei engineering, developed by Japanese scientist Nagamachi.…”

Wearable Electromechanical Sensors and Its Applications

“…In recent years, much efforts have been devoted to developing wearable sensing technologies. Various kinds of wearable sensors have been proposed and demonstrated in lab, from single functional sensors, such as temperature [1], pressure [2], strain [3], optical [4], and electrochemical sensors [5], to multifunctional sensors, such as tactile and electronic skin [6]. Among these wearable sensors, wearable electromechanical sensors including strain and pressure sensor have attracted more and more attentions due to its clear mechanism, low cost, low power consumption, and high performance [7].…”