Recent progress in high-resolution tactile sensor array: From sensor fabrication to advanced applications

Tactile sensors can transform the environmental stimuli into electrical signals to perceive and quantify the environmental information, which show huge application prospects. The development of bionic robots and wearable devices towards intelligence has put high demands on the performance of tactile sensor arrays. Herein, the current state-of-the-art tactile sensor arrays over recent years have been summarized, from sensor array fabrication to advanced applications. The main preparation methods of patterned array including screen printing, 3D printing, laser microprocessing, and textile technology are discussed in detail. Strategies to optimize the signal crosstalk caused by flexible high-density sensor arrays are systematically introduced from the perspective of structure design and circuit design. Furthermore, advanced tactile sensors are not limited to a single pressure sensing function, and hence the development of multimodal detection for sensors has been discussed. In order to promote the adaptability in applications, stretchable and self-powered versatile integration scheme for advanced sensing are briefly described. Then, by means of machine learning and neural networks, it is possible to deeply explore the information embedded in the tactile acquisition signal with enriched application scenarios. Finally, the current challenges and the future perspectives for flexible tactile sensor arrays towards practical use are provided.