Preliminary Results for Novel Shear Force Sensor using Force Sensitive Resistors

This paper presents the theory, design, and development of an innovative shear sensor using force sensitive resistors (FSR) and two soft silicone layers that is intended to allow shear forces applied to skin to be measured. The sensor is being developed to better understand the shear forces applied to skin during patient transfers. The sensor is constructed using four FSRs arranged in a two by two matrix and secured between the two silicone layers. The silicone layers include features to secure the FSRs in place and concentrate the force applied to the sensor to the center of the FSR pads. The preliminary results show that the sensor allows the measurement of normal forces of up to 4.9 N applied to the 4.5cm square sensor to be measured with an R
²
of 0.996. The results also show that the sensor can measure shear forces of up to 1.5 N with an R
²
of 0.981. The results show the sensor has a linear response to both normal and shear forces. Future work is required to further analyze the performance of this novel sensor.