Investigation into use of piezoelectric sensors in a wheeled robot tire for surface characterization

The results suggest that the sensors were capable of detecting normal pressure, deflection, and/or longitudinal strain. Added payload increased signal amplitude for all sensors. On the smaller tires, sensors generally recorded a smaller, wider signal on sand compared to cement, indicating potential to detect contact patch pressure and length. The signals recorded by the unlaminated sensor along the tread of the smaller tire were smaller on ice than cement, indicating possible sensitivity to tractive force. Results were less consistent for the larger tires, possibly due to the large tread pattern.