Flexible tactile sensors play an important role in fields such as human-computer interface, robot operation, and biomedical research. However, their soft appearance poses challenges in integration with wafer based devices, commercial chips, or circuit boards.      

Recently, in order to overcome the above challenges, the Han Mengdi team from Peking University introduced a flexible modular tactile sensor manufacturing method, device design, integration strategy, and biomedical technology, achieving compatibility with commercial electronics. Sensors use metal or alloy thin wires prepared by photolithography technology as sensing elements. By arranging these components in three-dimensional space, temperature, normal force, and shear force can be measured accurately, hysteresis free, and decoupled. Assemble these sensors on flexible printed circuit boards and form various flexible electronic systems together with commercial electronic products, with the ability to wirelessly measure skin interfaces, continuously monitor biomechanical signals, and spatially map tactile information. The flexible modular tactile sensor extends the functional component combination of microelectronics and macroelectronics.

Source: Sensor Expert Network