Fabrication of a wearable fabric tactile sensor produced by artificial hollow fiber

An artificial-hollow-fiber structure as a new material for MEMS was developed and applied to a novel type of fabric tactile sensor. The artificial hollow fiber was fabricated by uniformly deposited metal and insulation layers on the surface of an elastic tube. A special rotating mechanism for uniformly depositing a metal layer on the tube surface during sputtering was developed. A rectangular-shaped fabric tactile sensor was produced by combining artificial hollow fibers and typical cotton yarns, like a cloth. The sensor can detect a contact force by measuring changes in capacitance at all intersection points of the artificial hollow fibers. Two different types of wearable-tactile-sensor glove, a patched type and a direct knit type, were also fabricated, and it was confirmed that both types can detect a normal load by measuring the capacitance change.