Stretchable force sensor array using conductive liquid

We propose a stretchable force sensor which can measure a normal force and a stretch using conductive liquid encapsulated in an elastomer. The sensor was composed of force sensors which measure capacitance changes of liquid channel array and stretch sensors which measure impedance change of the liquid inside channels. Thus the normal force and the stretch can be measured at the same time. From this point, the sensor can measure the forces on flexible portion, such as joints of robot, without the influence of its deformation. In this paper, we fabricated the sensor composed of arrayed force sensors and stretch sensor. By using this sensor we confirmed its sensing characteristics by measuring 0 to 3.0 N forces and 0 to 0.28 stretching strain.