[en] Robotic tactile sensing technology is crucial for the advancement of intelligent humanoid robotics. Recently, optical fiber-based tactile sensors have attracted significant attention, leading to rapid developments in the field. Inspired by the spatial distribution and multipoint sensing capabilities of tactile mechanoreceptors in human skin, we introduce a stretchable and flexible optical fiber sensor with gradient-colored segments embedded within its core alongside a fabrication method. Our findings demonstrate that the optical loss coefficients of absorbing bands in flexible optical fiber segments, which share the same color but have different doping concentrations, vary under bending or pressure, while nonabsorbing bands remain stable. Leveraging this property, we propose a multipoint stress and pressure decoupling method utilizing gradient color coding and multiwavelength referencing. We have successfully integrated this soft fiber optic sensor onto the fingers and back of robotic hands, enabling the precise measurement of bending angles, finger joint positions, and pressure localization on the robotic hand. The proposed sensor offers high design flexibility, ease of fabrication, and exceptional tensile performance, positioning it as a promising solution for applications in human-computer interaction and intelligent robotics.
Disciplines :
Materials science & engineering
Author, co-author :
Yan, Xiaopeng; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Yan, Xiangyu; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Zhang, Taihao; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Chen, Mian; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Luo, Yang; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Wang, Zhe; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Qian, Zhihui ; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Shang, Zhen; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Zhang, Ting ; Nanjing Institute of Future Energy System, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211135, China ; Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Wei, Lei ; School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798 Singapore
Hu, Xuehao ; Université de Mons - UMONS > Recherche > Service ERC Unit - Advanced Photonic
Caucheteur, Christophe ; Université de Mons - UMONS > Faculté Polytechnique > Service d'Electromagnétisme et Télécommunications
Ren, Luquan; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China ; Institute of Structured and Architected Materials, Liaoning Academy of Materials, Shenyang 110167, China
Li, Kaiwei ; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Ren, Lei; Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China ; Institute of Structured and Architected Materials, Liaoning Academy of Materials, Shenyang 110167, China
Research Institute for Materials Science and Engineering
Funders :
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province Jilin Provincial Scientific and Technological Development Program F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique National Natural Science Foundation of China State Key Laboratory of Changchun City
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