Abstract:
A flexible tactile sensor based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is proposed, in order to meet the tactile sensing requirements of the robot when it touches or interacts with the external environment or objects. The sensor adopts a 3×3 FBG array as the flexible sensing components, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material to constitute a two-layer flexible substrate. The sensing principle of the sensor is introduced, and the elastomer is mechanically simulated and analyzed by finite element method. Static calibration experiments of the sensor are carried out based on the calibration experiment platform. The spatial resolution of the sensor is 25mm, and the sensing range of force is 0~7N in one load-applying unit of 10mm×10mm. Experiments show that the sensitivity of the sensor is 0.16nm/N with good linearity, repeatability and consistency. Experiments and analyses show the feasibility of the flexible tactile sensor. The sensor is very similar to human skin in both tactile property and structure, meanwhile it is of simple wiring and good anti-interference ability.