Project R-5458

Design optimization in printed structures and read-out electronics to achieve property requirements for Flexible Printed Tactile Sensors (Research)

There are a wide variety of sensors that can capture information such as temperature, vibration, shear, shape, texture, .... One particular type of sensors, tactile sensors, has interactive properties, meaning they can be used to detect different aspects of (human) touch, force and pressure. The technology gained interest during the 1980's but failed to be strongly adopted in industrial markets due to cost and poor design criteria. In the last decade, state-of-the-art research came up with possible solutions to these weaknesses. This opened during the last years new possible markets and applications such as minimally invasive surgery, robotic systems, interactive packaging and human computer interaction. The cost issue can be solved by using functional printing. Inks with different functionality can be printed onto a substrate and in the right design and connected with the right read-out electronics can be connected to the communication interface. As one sees different new applications with these evolving techniques, one should also look at the obstacles and challenges. The designs can be printed onto different exotic substrates among which are paper and textile giving rise to flexibility of the tactile sensor. In this work, focus will be directed towards the influence of flexing and bending the tactile sensor and how appropriate high-end designs in both the printed structures and the read-out electronics can overcome the change in properties while bending.

01 October 2014 - 30 September 2018