A novel tactile sensor system for heavy-load applications based on an integrated capacitive pressure sensor

We report on a tactile sensor system for heavy-load and heavy-duty applications. The sensor system is based on a surface-micromachined capacitive pressure sensor. A new packaging technique is presented that enables applications where large forces and rough operation environments prevail. Due to the CMOS compatibility, an efficient way to address and read out the sensor array can be realized. We present an application example that shows the enhanced versatility of heavy-load manipulators when using tactile sensors for manipulation tasks. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.