Flexible Tactile Sensor System Based on Piezoresistive Layer: Technology and Construction

SITSCAN CS is an original tactile system, which was primarily developed to investigate pressure distribution on uneven surfaces, e.g., chairs; however, due to its flexibility and modular conception, it can be utilized in other industrial or medical applications too. It consists of a flexible, PET-based PCB print-made sensing plate with active area of 50 × 50 cm with a placed matrix of 50 × 50 individual sensors. It uses the piezoresistive effect of the conductive ink layer as the transducing technology between the applied pressure and the output electrical signal. The tactile system further consists of control electronic circuits which process the measured data with up to 1000 fps with a maximal possible resolution 80 × 80 sensing points. The acquired data can be visualized, stored and further processed by means of the respective PC control program. The article describes the theoretical basis for the tactile system, as well as its development, construction, technical specifications and the testing process.