Design and Optimisation of Hyper-Elastic Multi-Axial Strain and Contact Pressure Sensor

Pressure Sensors plays pivotal role in the domain of soft robotics to interact with the real environment. In this study, we have reported the design and optimization of the hyper-elastic multi-axial strain and contact pressure sensor. The proposed sensor capable of detecting multi-axis strains and contact pressure consists of multilayered micro-channels filled with a liquid metal. The molds of the multilayered channel patterns were created with 3D printer and laser cutting machine to fabricate the sensor device. Silicone rubbers have been poured in the molds and solidify to make structure of sensor. These structures bonded for making of embedded micro-channels, and a liquid metal was infused into the micro-channels. The optimized channel dimensions were 0.33mm width, 0.35mm height, and no. of turns were 14 for strain sensing. The optimized parameters were 0.39 mm width and 0.35 mm height for pressure sensing.