Development of carbon microcoils (CMC) sensor system with high sensitivity for effective acquisition of tactile information

Abstract

This paper describes a new sensor system for the effective acquisition of tactile information using carbon microcoils (CMC). This system used the mechanical and electrical properties of CMC to obtain tactile information from the applied force. Experimental results prove its effectiveness and the characteristics of CMC as a sensor material. Using this system, we developed a distributed-type silicone based CMC sensor with a high sensitivity and the ability to measure an applied force down to even milligrams. The CMC sensor has its own characteristics compared to other sensors and is suitable to use as a sensor system for artificial skin or the artificial heart of a patient robot.