Recent progresses on flexible tactile sensors

With the popularity of intelligent terminals, flexible electronic products present a huge market prospect. Tactile sensors are a new type of electronic devices which provide the possibility for a machine to interact with the surroundings, being an emerging field after the rapid development of flexible electrodes—conformable tactile sensors or e-skins may enable the friendly interaction between a machine and human beings, or between machines. Flexible tactile sensors are possibly to combine advantages including flexibility, light weight, multiple functions, and low-cost, and have drawn extensive attention due to their wide application potential in wearable electronics and artificial intelligence. Here, we briefly review the state of the art of flexible tactile sensors, including the sensing mechanisms, signal transformations, common flexible sensing materials and their application in tactile sensing. Finally, we also provide perspectives on the challenges and the future of tactile sensors.