Flexible and stretchable fabric-based tactile sensor

In this extended abstract we introduce a novel fabric-based, flexible, and stretchable tactile sensor, capable of seamlessly covering natural shapes. Our developed sensor can have an arbitrary perimeter, can cover freeform surfaces and remains operational on top of soft padding such as a gel cushion, which is a prerequisite for building human-like, soft artificial palm and finger sensors. We discuss the construction of the sensor and evaluate its performance. The sensor is very robust and can withstand normal forces multiple magnitudes higher than what could be achieved by a human without sustaining damage.