Crosstalk-Free Impedance-Separating Array Measurement for Iontronic Tactile Sensors*

Iontronic tactile sensors are promising to measure spatial-temporal contact information with high performance. However, no suitable measuring method has been presented, due to issues with crosstalk and non-negligible equivalent resistance. Hence, this study presents an impedance-separating method, which does not require complex analog components. A general Quadri-Terminal Impedance Network (QTIN) model is introduced to reduce crosstalk, which has specific compatibility with the impedance-separating method. The precise ranges are measured, showing non-rectangle shapes suitable for the response of iontronic tactile sensors. A simple denoising method is provided to reduce initial array noise obviously. This work could benefit various scenarios, such as human-robot interaction and physiological information monitoring.

I. Introduction

Tactile sensors are essential for robots to understand and interact with the physical world. As large-area flexible sensitive arrays, tactile sensors can acquire spatial-temporal contact information. They have enabled various robotic applications including collision detection [1], material recognition [2], and human-robot interaction [3]. The characteristics of a tactile sensor have two key factors: the wiring manner and the electrical principle.