A Flexible Capacitive Normal / Shear Tactile Force Sensor

A flexible capacitive normal / shear force sensor design is presented. Fabrication on a flexible polyimide substrate allows the sensor to be molded to non-planar gripper surfaces. The ability to measure normal and shear forces will greatly advance the tactile sensing capabilities of articulated grippers. The structure of the sensor also provides the ability to integrate additional sensors into a tactile sensing system. Integration of senors to measure temperature, humidity, and hardness would provide more complete tactile information. Articulated robotic grippers require complete tactile data to facilitate the ability to sense by touch. The ability to reliably perform grasp control and object recognition is directly linked to the tacitle sensing capabilities of the gripper.