Fluid-resistive bending sensor having perfect compatibility with flexible pneumatic balloon actuator

This paper proposes a novel bending sensor for flexible micro structures, especially Pneumatic Balloon Actuator (PBA) made of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxan). Proposed sensor detects fluid resistance change depending on bending of fluidic structure. Structure of PBA with pneumatic channel is diverted to the fluid-resistive bending sensor without adding extra structure for sensor. Consequently, the proposed sensor has a perfect compatibility with PBA. A stiffness sensor is also designed by combining PBA and proposed bending sensor. 5 mm×10 mm×300 μm PDMS cantilever type stiffness sensor integrated with PBA and bending sensor could perform successfully. This paper describes the fluid-resistive bending sensor for flexible PBA and its application for stiffness sensor toward medical application.