A flexible tactile and shear sensing array fabricated using a novel buckypaper patterning technique

• A novel fabrication process for patterning buckypaper with high aspect ratio.
• A flexible tactile and shear sensing array utilizing patterned buckypaper as the sensing elements.
• The sensing device with the advantages such as anisotropic sensing capability, flexibility, simple fabrication, and low cost.
• A shear-sensing device with anisotropic sensitivity (different sensitivities along different directions).
• A paper-like tactile sensing device.

This paper proposes a flexible tactile and shear sensing array incorporating patterned buckypaper as the sensing elements and presents a novel process for patterning buckypaper at a high aspect ratio. The fabricated sensing device features advantages such as an anisotropic sensing capability, flexibility, ease of fabrication, and a low cost. Analyzing the measured resistance versus applied shear force on a single sensing element revealed that the sensitivity of the element varied along different directions. This anisotropic sensing capability can be employed to improve shear sensing. In addition, the sensing elements exhibited favorable sensitivity and repeatability. Force images were obtained using a 2 × 2 shear-force sensing array when various normal and shear forces were applied.