Piezoelectric particle-reinforced polyurethane for tactile sensing robot skin.

This paper presents a new tactile sensing method using the piezoelectric polyurethane as a robot skin material. BaTiO nanoparticles were introduced into polyurethane to improve its piezoelectric properties with only small changes in its hardness. Plate-type specimens of polyurethane with 1.0 wt.% BaTiO nanoparticles and mesh-type copper electrodes were manufactured for evaluating the tactile sensing ability of the composite material by foreign object drop tests. The measured electric charge signals varied proportionally to the distance and magnitude of external impact loads. Therefore, it is concluded that the self-sensor-type tactile sensing technology suggested is feasible for service robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mechanics of Composite Materials is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)