Texture measurement for fabrics including warm/cool and fluffiness sensation by multimodal MEMS sensor

In this paper, we report that texture measurement of warm/cool and fluffiness sensations of various fabrics has been carried out by a multimodal MEMS sensor. This MEMS sensor can detect force as resistance change of strain gauge on micro-cantilever and light as impedance change of Si layer by the photoconductive effect, respectively. The sensor can also detect a temperature drop by heat transfer from the sensor to the contact object as resistance change of the strain gauge and impedance change of Si. It is demonstrated that warm/cool and fluffiness sensations of fabrics can be evaluated by the measured results of the proposed MEMS sensor depending on temperature drop and contact force.