Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China.
Tencent Robotics X, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518000, China.
Sci Adv. 2023 Mar 3;9(9):eadf8831. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adf8831.
Iontronic pressure sensors are promising in robot haptics because they can achieve high sensing performance using nanoscale electric double layers (EDLs) for capacitive signal output. However, it is challenging to achieve both high sensitivity and high mechanical stability in these devices. Iontronic sensors need microstructures that offer subtly changeable EDL interfaces to boost sensitivity, while the microstructured interfaces are mechanically weak. Here, we embed isolated microstructured ionic gel (IMIG) in a hole array (28 × 28) of elastomeric matrix and cross-link the IMIGs laterally to achieve enhanced interfacial robustness without sacrificing sensitivity. The embedded configuration toughens and strengthens the skin by pinning cracks and by the elastic dissipation of the interhole structures. Furthermore, cross-talk between the sensing elements is suppressed by isolating the ionic materials and by designing a circuit with a compensation algorithm. We have demonstrated that the skin is potentially useful for robotic manipulation tasks and object recognition.
离子电子压力传感器在机器人触觉中很有前景，因为它们可以使用纳米级双电层 (EDL) 实现高电容信号输出，从而获得高传感性能。然而，在这些设备中同时实现高灵敏度和高机械稳定性具有挑战性。离子电子传感器需要提供微妙可变化的 EDL 界面的微结构来提高灵敏度，而微结构化界面的机械强度较弱。在这里，我们将孤立的微结构化离子凝胶 (IMIG) 嵌入弹性体基质的孔阵列 (28×28) 中，并横向交联 IMIG，以在不牺牲灵敏度的情况下提高界面稳定性。嵌入式配置通过钉扎裂纹和孔间结构的弹性耗散来增强和加固皮肤。此外，通过隔离离子材料和设计具有补偿算法的电路来抑制传感元件之间的串扰。我们已经证明，这种皮肤对于机器人操作任务和物体识别具有潜在的用途。
