ABSTRACT
A vast majority of research work in the area of robot sensing has concentrated on computer vision, contact sensing is an equally important feature for robots and has received some attention as well. While the bulk resistance of the elastomer changes slightly when it is compressed, the design allows the increase of the area of contact between the elastomer and an electrode, and correspondingly a change in the contact resistance. The sensor array consists of an x-y-matrix-organized array of pressure cells with a cell spacing of 250 pm. The major advantages of the piezoelectric technology are its wide dynamic range and durability. The major problems with this specific device are associated with creep, hysteresis, and temperature variation. The transducer consists of a four-layer, two-dimensional fiber optic array constructed by using two layers of optical fibers as a corrugation structure, through which microbends are induced in two orthogonal layers of active fibers.
