Pressure and Temperature Sensor with ZnO Nanowire Array

Abstract

Tactile sensors have recently attracted tremendous interest and the sensing mechanisms have been developed by mimicking the human touch system. However, most previous works have mostly focused on improving the sensitivity of sensors to physical parameters including pressure, strain or temperature. Also, achieving grip control of fragile objects such as eggs is main consideration in robotic hands development. For human beings, psychological feelings including softness, roughness and pain are important factors for interacting with others and the objects. If the tactile sensors which give psychological feelings are applied to various applications such as mobile displays, android robots and prosthetics, they have ability to sense psychological feelings as like humans. Among several emotions, ‘pain’ is the most important feeling because ‘pain’ is indication of damage and humans have self-protection ability by feeling ‘pain’ from external environment. Ultimately, robots with psychological tactile sensor will become as intelligent as human beings while robots perform the duties sensing danger and avoid it at the same time. In this way, realizing psychological tactile sensors is strongly required, however, mimicking psychological feelings is unprecedented until now. In order to perceive ‘pain’ feeling from harsh environments, tactile sensors need to detect pressure and temperature simultaneously. Here, we have demonstrated Zinc oxide nanowire based tactile sensors which can detect pressure and temperature simultaneously. Array type tactile sensors can verify the input objects which may be sharp, blunt, and hot or cool by simple signal processing. This capability means that tactile sensor can convey psychological feelings from the physical parameters. As a result, this tactile sensor can be used to protect android robot hand or mobile phone touch display from external risky environments. ⓒ 2016 DGIST