2019-030 - Magnetic Elastomer for Deformation Sensing
Abstract
We are introducing a new polymer substrate with magnetic properties. Small magnetic particles embedded inside an elastomer create a unique surrounding magnetic field. When the elastomer substrate is deformed, the magnetic particles change position and modify the surrounding magnetic field accordingly. Coupled with a magnetic sensor, we can measure and track these small changes in magnetic field and infer the applied deformation. Our goal is to develop a soft, continuous tactile sensor to localize and quantify applied deformations. The sensor's stretchable, soft and waterproof properties lends itself to applications in wearables or physiological monitoring. In particular, in conjunction with large-scale data collection and statistical analysis, this simple sensor could be tremendously helpful in robotic manipulation tasks.