Biomimetics Laboratory, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Soft compassion sensors provide a sense of touch for robots which plays a crucial role in safe interaction between robots and their environment. Here we report on Carbon black/dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite at the top of an interdigitated electrode (IDE) patterned on a printed circuit board (PCB). The sensor's response only depends on the change in relative permittivity of the composite. Any deformation causes a decrease in permittivity due to a change in the filler's network shape. The sensor shows an excellent sensitivity of 7.1%N-1, which is 35 times more than a composite made with insulating particles (BaTiO3). Our sensor combines high sensitivity with a simple fabrication, thus making it ideal for manipulating fragile objects.
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