A Triboelectric-Electromagnetic Hybrid Tactile Sensor for Force Measurement and Human Motion Monitoring

Widely used in robotics, medical imaging, and consumer products, tactile sensors mimic the subcutaneous sensors under human skin to detect feedback stimuli in the environments. Electromagnetic generator (EMG) and triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) are two principle driving mechanisms for tactile sensors. These two mechanisms enable mechanical-electrical conversion with high transduction efficiency and design compactness. In this article, a triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid tactile sensor (TEH-TS) is designed, fabricated, and tested. TEH-TS integrates TENG and EMG into a simple and elegant design. As for TENG, aluminum foil and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes constitute a double-sided sandwich structure for charge transfer. As for EMG, the deformation of the magnetoelectric rubber induces voltage at the copper planar coil. Electrical tests show that the open-circuit voltage of TEH-TS is sufficient for tactile sensing. Mechanical tests show that TEH-TS has a highly linear voltage-force relationship with frequency-dependent sensitivity. Application tests show that TEH-TS can be used for force measurement and human motion monitoring.