Sensors 2013, 13(1), 1021-1045; doi:10.3390/s130101021
Review

A Flexible Sensor Technology for the Distributed Measurement of Interaction Pressure

Marco Donati 1,* email, Nicola Vitiello 1 email, Stefano Marco Maria De Rossi 1 email, Tommaso Lenzi 1 email, Simona Crea 1 email, Alessandro Persichetti 1 email, Francesco Giovacchini 1 email, Bram Koopman 2 email, Janez Podobnik 3 email, Marko Munih 3 email and Maria Chiara Carrozza 1 email
1 The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera (PI), Italy 2 Biomechanical Engineering Laboratory, Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine (MIRA), University of Twente, 7500 EA Enschede, The Netherlands 3 Laboratory of Robotics, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 1 November 2012; in revised form: 8 January 2013 / Accepted: 8 January 2013 / Published: 15 January 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Sensors Technology in Italy 2012)
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Abstract: We present a sensor technology for the measure of the physical human-robot interaction pressure developed in the last years at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. The system is composed of flexible matrices of opto-electronic sensors covered by a soft silicone cover. This sensory system is completely modular and scalable, allowing one to cover areas of any sizes and shapes, and to measure different pressure ranges. In this work we present the main application areas for this technology. A first generation of the system was used to monitor human-robot interaction in upper- (NEUROExos; Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) and lower-limb (LOPES; University of Twente) exoskeletons for rehabilitation. A second generation, with increased resolution and wireless connection, was used to develop a pressure-sensitive foot insole and an improved human-robot interaction measurement systems. The experimental characterization of the latter system along with its validation on three healthy subjects is presented here for the first time. A perspective on future uses and development of the technology is finally drafted.
Keywords: distributed force sensor; wearable robotics; physical human-robot interaction; pressure-sensitive insole

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Donati, M.; Vitiello, N.; De Rossi, S.M.M.; Lenzi, T.; Crea, S.; Persichetti, A.; Giovacchini, F.; Koopman, B.; Podobnik, J.; Munih, M.; Carrozza, M.C. A Flexible Sensor Technology for the Distributed Measurement of Interaction Pressure. Sensors 2013, 13, 1021-1045.

AMA Style

Donati M, Vitiello N, De Rossi SMM, Lenzi T, Crea S, Persichetti A, Giovacchini F, Koopman B, Podobnik J, Munih M, Carrozza MC. A Flexible Sensor Technology for the Distributed Measurement of Interaction Pressure. Sensors. 2013; 13(1):1021-1045.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Donati, Marco; Vitiello, Nicola; De Rossi, Stefano M.M.; Lenzi, Tommaso; Crea, Simona; Persichetti, Alessandro; Giovacchini, Francesco; Koopman, Bram; Podobnik, Janez; Munih, Marko; Carrozza, Maria C. 2013. "A Flexible Sensor Technology for the Distributed Measurement of Interaction Pressure." Sensors 13, no. 1: 1021-1045.

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