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Applications of Flexible Tactile Sensors in Intelligent Systems

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2023) | Viewed by 3998

Special Issue Editors

School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
Interests: stretchable sensors and flexible hybrid electronic systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Flexible tactile sensor refers to a flexible electronic device that is capable of converting external tactile stimuli into detectable electrical signals, showing an increasingly important value in the development of electronic skin. Benefiting from conspicuous merits including high sensitivity, mechanical flexibility, and wearable characteristics, flexible tactile sensors have attracted considerable attention in the fields of personal healthcare, human motion monitoring, human–computer interaction, etc. With the emerging artificial intelligence technology, flexible tactile sensors with only a single tactile information sensing capability cannot meet people’s needs. They are expected to be designed as an intelligent system, combining human intelligence with machine intelligence, so as to better serve human beings in industrial manufacturing, medical health, and social services. In this Special Issue, titled “Applications of Flexible Tactile Sensors in Intelligent Systems”, we focus on the structural design, process manufacturing, and working principle of flexible tactile sensors and demonstrate their application potential in intelligent systems. We hope to promote the development of flexible tactile sensors toward intelligence by combining theoretical research with practical applications.

Dr. Jun Wu
Prof. Dr. Qiongfeng Shi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • electronic skin
  • flexible tactile sensors
  • information perception
  • human–machine interaction
  • intelligent systems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 12292 KiB  
Article
Correlations among Firing Rates of Tactile, Thermal, Gustatory, Olfactory, and Auditory Sensations Mimicked by Artificial Hybrid Fluid (HF) Rubber Mechanoreceptors
by Kunio Shimada
Sensors 2023, 23(10), 4593; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23104593 - 9 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1537
Abstract
In order to advance the development of sensors fabricated with monofunctional sensation systems capable of a versatile response to tactile, thermal, gustatory, olfactory, and auditory sensations, mechanoreceptors fabricated as a single platform with an electric circuit require investigation. In addition, it is essential [...] Read more.
In order to advance the development of sensors fabricated with monofunctional sensation systems capable of a versatile response to tactile, thermal, gustatory, olfactory, and auditory sensations, mechanoreceptors fabricated as a single platform with an electric circuit require investigation. In addition, it is essential to resolve the complicated structure of the sensor. In order to realize the single platform, our proposed hybrid fluid (HF) rubber mechanoreceptors of free nerve endings, Merkel cells, Krause end bulbs, Meissner corpuscles, Ruffini endings, and Pacinian corpuscles mimicking the bio-inspired five senses are useful enough to facilitate the fabrication process for the resolution of the complicated structure. This study used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to elucidate the intrinsic structure of the single platform and the physical mechanisms of the firing rate such as slow adaption (SA) and fast adaption (FA), which were induced from the structure and involved the capacitance, inductance, reactance, etc. of the HF rubber mechanoreceptors. In addition, the relations among the firing rates of the various sensations were clarified. The adaption of the firing rate in the thermal sensation is the opposite of that in the tactile sensation. The firing rates in the gustation, olfaction, and auditory sensations at frequencies of less than 1 kHz have the same adaption as in the tactile sensation. The present findings are useful not only in the field of neurophysiology, to research the biochemical reactions of neurons and brain perceptions of stimuli, but also in the field of sensors, to advance salient developments in sensors mimicking bio-inspired sensations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Flexible Tactile Sensors in Intelligent Systems)
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16 pages, 5131 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Fast and Slow Adaptions in the Tactile Sensation of Mechanoreceptors Mimicked by Hybrid Fluid (HF) Rubber with Equivalent Electric Circuits and Properties
by Kunio Shimada
Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1327; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031327 - 24 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2093
Abstract
In order to advance engineering applications of robotics such as wearable health-monitoring devices, humanoid robots, etc., it is essential to investigate the tactile sensations of artificial haptic sensors mimicking bioinspired human cutaneous mechanoreceptors such as free nerve endings, Merkel’s cells, Krause end bulbs, [...] Read more.
In order to advance engineering applications of robotics such as wearable health-monitoring devices, humanoid robots, etc., it is essential to investigate the tactile sensations of artificial haptic sensors mimicking bioinspired human cutaneous mechanoreceptors such as free nerve endings, Merkel’s cells, Krause end bulbs, Meissner corpuscles, Ruffini endings, and Pacinian corpuscles. The generated receptor’s potential response to extraneous stimuli, categorized as slow adaption (SA) or fast adaption (FA), is particularly significant as a typical property. The present study addressed the estimation of SA and FA by utilizing morphologically fabricated mechanoreceptors made of our proposed magnetically responsive intelligent fluid, hybrid fluid (HF), and by applying our proposed electrolytic polymerization. Electric circuit models of the mechanoreceptors were generated using experimental data on capacitance and inductance on the basis of the electric characteristics of impedance. The present results regarding equivalent firing rates based on FA and SA are consistent with the FA and SA findings of vital mechanoreceptors by biomedical analysis. The present investigative process is useful to clarify the time of response to a force on the fabricated artificial mechanoreceptor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Flexible Tactile Sensors in Intelligent Systems)
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