Robotic pressure sensing sensor based on triboelectric nanogenerator

The nervous and sensory systems are the basis for the human body and the robot to perceive the external environment and play an important role in the robot’s interaction with the human world. Here, a Ramp-like triboelectric nanogenerator sensor (RL-TS) based on a vertical contact-separation mode of operation was developed to simulate the perceptual capabilities of the human nervous system. The RL-TS has a ramp-like structure and is pixel-dotted across the device. Therefore, the RL-TS shows excellent reliability in detecting the size and location of external stimuli. Attributed to the unique structure and working principle of the RL-TS, the RL-TS can be distributed pixel-wise in the robot’s palm, and then the current force state of the entire palm can be analyzed. RL-TS is promising for robot sensing with the advantages of low cost, easy availability of materials, high flexibility, simple structure, easy installation, and self-powered.