W-Y Tseng et al 2009 J. Micromech. Microeng. 19 085002 doi:10.1088/0960-1317/19/8/085002
W-Y Tseng1, J S Fisher2, J L Prieto2, K Rinaldi2, G Alapati2 and A P Lee2
Show affiliationsWe present a microfluidic-based tactile sensor mimicking the human slow-adapting mechanoreceptor such as Merkel's disc. The sensor is composed of a polyimide (PI)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) multilayer structure. The device uses a hemispherical reservoir filled with electrolyte solution in the PDMS layer, a microchannel in the PI layer and a pair of sensing electrodes below the microchannel as the force transducer. The tactile signal is detected as the impedance change resulting predominantly from the resistance variance due to the electrodes coverage by the 1M NaCl solution and is measured across the electrode pair. The sensor response is linear and the working range is shown to be in the range of 0–1.8 N. The characterization results also demonstrate the sensing of various levels of forces and its long-term signal stability.
07.07.Df Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing
87.80.-y Biophysical techniques (research methods)
85.85.+j Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices
Issue 8 (August 2009)
Received 7 October 2008, in final form 11 May 2009
Published 9 July 2009
W-Y Tseng et al 2009 J. Micromech. Microeng. 19 085002
E D S van Vliet and P L Kinney 2007 Environ. Res. Lett. 2 045028