Anisotropic Tactile Sensors: Constructive Designs, Challenges, and Emerging Applications

Recent advancements in human-machine interaction technologies have driven significant interest in tactile sensors for health monitoring, movement detection, and the progression of intelligent robotics. However, most existing sensors rely on isotropic materials or structures, limiting their ability to detect stimuli from multiple directions simultaneously, which can be efficiently mitigated by incorporating anisotropic architectures. Despite their promising potential, the development of anisotropic tactile sensors remains nascent and necessitates more comprehensive synthesis and generalization of the current state. This review offers a thorough analysis of anisotropic tactile sensors, delving into their sensing mechanisms, performance metrics, materials, and structural designs. It also explores their applications in intelligent systems and critically evaluates the current developmental status and outlines the challenges to be addressed, providing essential insights and innovative solutions to propel advancements in this emerging research area.