Since the first design of tactile sensors was proposed by Harmon in 1982,tactile sensors have evolved through four key phases:industrial applications(1980s,basic pressure detection),miniaturization via MEMS(1990s),fle...Since the first design of tactile sensors was proposed by Harmon in 1982,tactile sensors have evolved through four key phases:industrial applications(1980s,basic pressure detection),miniaturization via MEMS(1990s),flexible electronics(2010s,stretchable materials),and intelligent systems(2020s-present,AI-driven multimodal sensing).With the innovation of material,processing techniques,and multimodal fusion of stimuli,the application of tactile sensors has been continuously expanding to a diversity of areas,including but not limited to medical care,aerospace,sports and intelligent robots.Currently,researchers are dedicated to develop tactile sensors with emerging mechanisms and structures,pursuing high-sensitivity,high-resolution,and multimodal characteristics and further constructing tactile systems which imitate and approach the performance of human organs.However,challenges in the combination between the theoretical research and the practical applications are still significant.There is a lack of comprehensive understanding in the state of the art of such knowledge transferring from academic work to technical products.Scaled-up production of laboratory materials faces fatal challenges like high costs,small scale,and inconsistent quality.Ambient factors,such as temperature,humidity,and electromagnetic interference,also impair signal reliability.Moreover,tactile sensors must operate across a wide pressure range(0.1 k Pa to several or even dozens of MPa)to meet diverse application needs.Meanwhile,the existing algorithms,data models and sensing systems commonly reveal insufficient precision as well as undesired robustness in data processing,and there is a realistic gap between the designed and the demanded system response speed.In this review,oriented by the design requirements of intelligent tactile sensing systems,we summarize the common sensing mechanisms,inspired structures,key performance,and optimizing strategies,followed by a brief overview of the recent advances in the perspectives of system integration and algorithm implementation,and the possible roadmap of future development of tactile sensors,providing a forward-looking as well as critical discussions in the future industrial applications of flexible tactile sensors.展开更多
This study presents a hybrid CNN-Transformer model for real-time recognition of affective tactile biosignals.The proposed framework combines convolutional neural networks(CNNs)to extract spatial and local temporal fea...This study presents a hybrid CNN-Transformer model for real-time recognition of affective tactile biosignals.The proposed framework combines convolutional neural networks(CNNs)to extract spatial and local temporal features with the Transformer encoder that captures long-range dependencies in time-series data through multi-head attention.Model performance was evaluated on two widely used tactile biosignal datasets,HAART and CoST,which contain diverse affective touch gestures recorded from pressure sensor arrays.TheCNN-Transformer model achieved recognition rates of 93.33%on HAART and 80.89%on CoST,outperforming existing methods on both benchmarks.By incorporating temporal windowing,the model enables instantaneous prediction,improving generalization across gestures of varying duration.These results highlight the effectiveness of deep learning for tactile biosignal processing and demonstrate the potential of theCNN-Transformer approach for future applications in wearable sensors,affective computing,and biomedical monitoring.展开更多
Tactile feedback is critical for human interaction with external information.Similarly,tactile feedback can enrich the user's sensations when using prosthesis.To explore a potential scheme for tactile feedback,thi...Tactile feedback is critical for human interaction with external information.Similarly,tactile feedback can enrich the user's sensations when using prosthesis.To explore a potential scheme for tactile feedback,this study applied a non-inva-sive Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation(TENS)to elicit tactile sensations in the hand,which involved median nerve,ulnar nerve,and radial nerve.Ten able-bodied subjects(8 males,2 females)were recruited to participate in the study.An array of 4×2 electrodes was positioned on the medial aspect of the brachii muscle's short head in the upper arm,which is in proximity to the median nerve,ulnar nerve,and radial nerve.Different electrode pairs were randomly selected to elicit distinct sensations at various positions on the hand,and the subjects reported the sensory areas.Then,the sensory areas and sensory thresholds were confirmed through psychophysical methods.According to the experimental results,tactile sensations were elicited at different locations on the subjects'hand through TENS of different electrode pairs.All subjects reported extensive and detailed sensory areas in the fingers,palm,and dorsum,corresponding to the sensory innervation areas of different nerves.The study effectively demonstrated the ability of TENS in evoking tactile feedback in the hand,paving the way for future optimization and development of prosthetic hands.展开更多
Flexible electronics face critical challenges in achieving monolithic three-dimensional(3D)integration,including material compatibility,structural stability,and scalable fabrication methods.Inspired by the tactile sen...Flexible electronics face critical challenges in achieving monolithic three-dimensional(3D)integration,including material compatibility,structural stability,and scalable fabrication methods.Inspired by the tactile sensing mechanism of the human skin,we have developed a flexible monolithic 3D-integrated tactile sensing system based on a holey MXene paste,where each vertical one-body unit simultaneously functions as a microsupercapacitor and pressure sensor.The in-plane mesopores of MXene significantly improve ion accessibility,mitigate the self-stacking of nanosheets,and allow the holey MXene to multifunctionally act as a sensing material,an active electrode,and a conductive interconnect,thus drastically reducing the interface mismatch and enhancing the mechanical robustness.Furthermore,we fabricate a large-scale device using a blade-coating and stamping method,which demonstrates excellent mechanical flexibility,low-power consumption,rapid response,and stable long-term operation.As a proof-of-concept application,we integrate our sensing array into a smart access control system,leveraging deep learning to accurately identify users based on their unique pressing behaviors.This study provides a promising approach for designing highly integrated,intelligent,and flexible electronic systems for advanced human-computer interactions and personalized electronics.展开更多
Tactile sensing of subcutaneous organ vibrations provides a promising route toward human-machine interfaces and wear-able diagnostics,particularly for voice rehabilitation and silent-speech communication.Here,we prese...Tactile sensing of subcutaneous organ vibrations provides a promising route toward human-machine interfaces and wear-able diagnostics,particularly for voice rehabilitation and silent-speech communication.Here,we present a bioinspired piezoelectric vibration sensor that mimics the graded stiffness and stress-based transduction mechanism of otolithic cilia in the human vestibular system.The device consists of a trapezoidal cantilever array with tip inertial masses,fabricated through a hybrid stereolithography 3D printing and laser micromachining process for rapid prototyping without cleanroom facilities.Finite-element modeling and experimental measurements demonstrate a fundamental resonance near 1.2 kHz,a 5%flat-bandwidth of 350 Hz,and an in-band charge sensitivity of 3.17 pC/g.A wearable proof-of-concept test further verifies the sensor's ability to reproducibly distinguish phoneme-specific vibration patterns in both time and frequency domains.This work establishes a foundation for bioinspired tactile sensing front-ends in wearable voice interfaces and other intelligent diagnostic systems integrated with machine-learning algorithms.展开更多
Tactile perception plays a vital role for the human body and is also highly desired for smart prosthesis and advanced robots.Compared to active sensing devices,passive piezoelectric and triboelectric tactile sensors c...Tactile perception plays a vital role for the human body and is also highly desired for smart prosthesis and advanced robots.Compared to active sensing devices,passive piezoelectric and triboelectric tactile sensors consume less power,but lack the capability to resolve static stimuli.Here,we address this issue by utilizing the unique polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers for the first time and propose a new type of bioinspired,passive,and bio-friendly tactile sensors for resolving both static and dynamic stimuli.Specifically,to emulate the polarization process of natural sensory cells,conjugated polymers(including poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophen e):poly(styrenesulfonate),polyaniline,or polypyrrole)are controllably polarized into two opposite states to create artificial potential differences.The controllable and reversible polarization process of the conjugated polymers is fully in situ characterized.Then,a micro-structured ionic electrolyte is employed to imitate the natural ion channels and to encode external touch stimulations into the variation in potential difference outputs.Compared with the currently existing tactile sensing devices,the developed tactile sensors feature distinct characteristics including fully organic composition,high sensitivity(up to 773 mV N^(−1)),ultralow power consumption(nW),as well as superior bio-friendliness.As demonstrations,both single point tactile perception(surface texture perception and material property perception)and two-dimensional tactile recognitions(shape or profile perception)with high accuracy are successfully realized using self-defined machine learning algorithms.This tactile sensing concept innovation based on the polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers opens up a new path to create robotic tactile sensors and prosthetic electronic skins.展开更多
In order to improve the performance of the braincomputer interface system of motor imagery(MI),the optimization of the MI strategy is an effective means.Therefore,this paper proposes a motor-tactile imagery(MTI)strate...In order to improve the performance of the braincomputer interface system of motor imagery(MI),the optimization of the MI strategy is an effective means.Therefore,this paper proposes a motor-tactile imagery(MTI)strategy to improve the classification accuracy of the MI-based brain-computer interface(BCI)system by adding a corresponding strong correlation of tactile imagery to each imaginary action of the MI.Electroencephalogram(EEG)signals generated by different strategies were collected,and the corresponding classification accuracy was obtained.The experimental results showed that the performance of the MTI-training group was significantly better than that of the MI group and the MTI-without-training group.The MTI strategy proposed in this study can significantly improve the performance of BCI.展开更多
This letter provides a concise review of the pertinent literature on visual and tactile hallucinations in elderly patients.The discussion addresses differential diagnoses and potential underlying mechanisms,as well as...This letter provides a concise review of the pertinent literature on visual and tactile hallucinations in elderly patients.The discussion addresses differential diagnoses and potential underlying mechanisms,as well as the psychopathology associated with tactile hallucinations,and emphasizes the necessity for invest-igation into the possibility of coexisting delusional infestation(parasitosis).These symptoms frequently manifest in patients with primary psychotic disorders,organic mental disorders,and substance use disorders.The proposed pathophy-siological mechanisms may involve dopaminergic imbalances and dysfunction of the striatal dopamine transporter.展开更多
Pacinian Corpuscle(PC)is the largest tactile vibration receptor in mammalian skin,with a layered structure that enables signal amplification and high-pass filtering functions.Modern robots feature vibro-tactile sensor...Pacinian Corpuscle(PC)is the largest tactile vibration receptor in mammalian skin,with a layered structure that enables signal amplification and high-pass filtering functions.Modern robots feature vibro-tactile sensors with excellent mechanical properties and fine resolution,but these sensors are prone to low-frequency noise interference when detecting high-frequency vibrations.In this study,a bionic PC with a longitudinally decreasing dynamic fractal structure is proposed.By creating a lumped parameter model of the PC’s layered structure,the bionic PC made of gelatin-chitosan based hydrogel can achieve high-pass filtering and specific frequency band signal amplification without requiring back-end circuits.The experimental results demonstrate that the bionic PC retains the structural characteristics of a natural PC,and the influence of structural factors,such as the number of layers in its shell,on filtration characteristics is explored.Additionally,a vibration source positioning experiment was conducted to simulate the earthquake sensing abilities of elephants.This natural structural design simplifies the filter circuit,is low-cost,cost-effective,stable in performance,and reduces redundancy in the robot’s signal circuit.Integrating this technology with robots can enhance their environmental perception,thereby improving the safety of interactions.展开更多
Piezoelectric and triboelectric effects are of growing interest for facilitating high-sensitivity and self-powered tactile sensor applications.The working principles of piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators p...Piezoelectric and triboelectric effects are of growing interest for facilitating high-sensitivity and self-powered tactile sensor applications.The working principles of piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators provide strategies for enhancing output voltage signals to achieve high sensitivity.Increasing the piezoelectric constant and surface triboelectric charge density are key factors in this enhancement.Methods such as annealing processes,doping techniques,grain orientation controls,crystallinity controls,and composite structures can effectively enhance the piezoelectric constant.For increasing triboelectric output,surface plasma treatment,charge injection,microstructuring,control of dielectric constant,and structural modification are effective methods.The fabrication methods present significant opportunities in tactile sensor applications.This review article summarizes the overall piezoelectric and triboelectric fabrication processes from materials to device aspects.It highlights applications in pressure,touch,bending,texture,distance,and material recognition sensors.The conclusion section addresses challenges and research opportunities,such as limited flexibility,stretchability,decoupling from multi-stimuli,multifunctional sensors,and data processing.展开更多
This review explores the current state and future prospects of tactile sensing technologies in space robotics,addressing the unique challenges posed by harsh space environments such as extreme temperatures,radiation,m...This review explores the current state and future prospects of tactile sensing technologies in space robotics,addressing the unique challenges posed by harsh space environments such as extreme temperatures,radiation,microgravity,and vacuum conditions,which necessitate specialized sensor designs.We provide a detailed analysis of four primary types of tactile sensors:resistive,capacitive,piezoelectric,and optical,evaluating their operating principles,advantages,limitations,and specific applications in space exploration.Recent advancements in materials science,including the development of radiation-hardened components and flexible sensor materials,are discussed alongside innovations in sensor design and integration techniques that enhance performance and durability under space conditions.Through case studies of various space robotic systems,such as Mars rovers,robotic arms like Canadarm,humanoid robots like Robonaut,and specialized robots like Astrobee and LEMUR 3,this review highlights the crucial role of tactile sensing in enabling precise manipulation,environmental interaction,and autonomous operations in space.Moreover,it synthesizes current research and applications to underscore the transformative impact of tactile sensing technologies on space robotics and highlights their pivotal role in expanding human presence and scientific understanding in space,offering strategic insights and recommendations to guide future research and development in this critical field.展开更多
Next-generation artificial tactile systems demand seamless integration with neuromorphic architectures to support on-edge computation and high-fidelity sensory signal processing.Despite significant advancements,curren...Next-generation artificial tactile systems demand seamless integration with neuromorphic architectures to support on-edge computation and high-fidelity sensory signal processing.Despite significant advancements,current research remains predominantly focused on optimizing individual sensor elements,and systems utilizing single neuromorphic components encounter inherent limitations in enhancing overall functionality.Here,we present a vertically integrated in-sensor processing platform,which combines a three-dimensional antiferroelectric field-effect transistor(AFEFET)device with an aluminum nitride(AlN)piezoelectric sensor.展开更多
It is significant to process textures with special functions similar to animal surfaces based on bionics and improve the friction stability and contact comfort of contact surfaces for the surface texture design of tac...It is significant to process textures with special functions similar to animal surfaces based on bionics and improve the friction stability and contact comfort of contact surfaces for the surface texture design of tactile products.In this paper,a bionic hexagonal micro-convex texture was prepared on an acrylic surface by laser processing.The friction mechanism of a finger touching the bionic hexagonal micro-convex texture under different touch speeds and pressures,and the effect of the height of the texture on tactile perception were investigated by finite element,subjective evaluation,friction,and EEG tests.The results showed that the deformation friction was the main friction component when the finger touched the bionic hexagonal texture,and the slipperiness and friction factor showed a significant negative correlation.As the touch speed decreased or the touch force increased,the hysteresis friction of the fingers as well as the interlocking friction increased,and the slipperiness perception decreased.The bionic hexagonal texture with higher convexity caused a higher friction factor,lower slipperiness perception,and lower P300 peak.Hexagonal textures with lower convexity,lower friction factor,and higher slipperiness perception required greater brain attentional resources and intensity of tactile information processing during tactile perception.展开更多
Ionogels have demonstrated substantial applications in smart wearable systems,soft robotics,and biomedical engineering due to the exceptional ionic conductivity and optical transparency.However,achieving ionogels with...Ionogels have demonstrated substantial applications in smart wearable systems,soft robotics,and biomedical engineering due to the exceptional ionic conductivity and optical transparency.However,achieving ionogels with desirable mechanical properties,environmental stability,and multi-mode sensing remains challenging.Here,we propose a simple strategy for the fabrication of multifunctional silk fabric-based ionogels(BSFIGs).The resulting fabric ionogels exhibits superior mechanical properties,with high tensile strength(11.3 MPa)and work of fracture(2.53 MJ/m^(3)).And its work of fracture still has 1.42 MJ/m^(3)as the notch increased to 50%,indicating its crack growth insensitivity.These ionogels can be used as sensors for strain,temperature,and tactile multimode sensing,demonstrating a gauge factor of 1.19 and a temperature coefficient of resistance of3.17/℃^(-1).Furthermore,these ionogels can be used for the detection of different roughness and as touch screens.The ionogels also exhibit exceptional optical transmittance and environmental stability even at80℃.Our scalable fabrication process broadens the application potential of these multifunctional ionogels in diverse fields,from smart systems to extreme environments.展开更多
High-fidelity tactile rendering offers significant potential for improving the richness and immersion of touchscreen interactions.This study focuses on a quantitative description of tactile rendering fidelity using a ...High-fidelity tactile rendering offers significant potential for improving the richness and immersion of touchscreen interactions.This study focuses on a quantitative description of tactile rendering fidelity using a custom-designed hybrid electrovibration and mechanical vibration(HEM)device.An electrovibration and mechanical vibration(EMV)algorithm that renders 3D gratings with different physical heights was proposed and shown to achieve 81%accuracy in shape recognition.Models of tactile rendering fidelity were established based on the evaluation of the height discrimination threshold,and the psychophysical-physical relationships between the discrimination and reference heights were well described by a modification of Weber’s law,with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9.The physiological-physical relationship between the pulse firing rate and the physical stimulation voltage was modeled using the Izhikevich spiking model with a logarithmic relationship.展开更多
With the rapid development of flexible electronics,the tactile systems for object recognition are becoming increasingly delicate.This paper presents the design of a tactile glove for object recognition,integrating 243...With the rapid development of flexible electronics,the tactile systems for object recognition are becoming increasingly delicate.This paper presents the design of a tactile glove for object recognition,integrating 243 palm pressure units and 126 finger joint strain units that are implemented by piezoresistive Velostat film.The palm pressure and joint bending strain data from the glove were collected using a two-dimensional resistance array scanning circuit and further converted into tactile images with a resolution of 32×32.To verify the effect of tactile data types on recognition precision,three datasets of tactile images were respectively built by palm pressure data,joint bending strain data,and a tactile data combing of both palm pressure and joint bending strain.An improved residual convolutional neural network(CNN)model,SP-ResNet,was developed by light-weighting ResNet-18 to classify these tactile images.Experimental results show that the data collection method combining palm pressure and joint bending strain demonstrates a 4.33%improvement in recognition precision compared to the best results obtained by using only palm pressure or joint bending strain.The recognition precision of 95.50%for 16 objects can be achieved by the presented tactile glove with SP-ResNet of less computation cost.The presented tactile system can serve as a sensing platform for intelligent prosthetics and robot grippers.展开更多
The Tactile Internet of Things(TIoT)promises transformative applications—ranging from remote surgery to industrial robotics—by incorporating haptic feedback into traditional IoT systems.Yet TIoT’s stringent require...The Tactile Internet of Things(TIoT)promises transformative applications—ranging from remote surgery to industrial robotics—by incorporating haptic feedback into traditional IoT systems.Yet TIoT’s stringent requirements for ultra-low latency,high reliability,and robust privacy present significant challenges.Conventional centralized Federated Learning(FL)architectures struggle with latency and privacy constraints,while fully distributed FL(DFL)faces scalability and non-IID data issues as client populations expand and datasets become increasingly heterogeneous.To address these limitations,we propose a Clustered Distributed Federated Learning(CDFL)architecture tailored for a 6G-enabled TIoT environment.Clients are grouped into clusters based on data similarity and/or geographical proximity,enabling local intra-cluster aggregation before inter-cluster model sharing.This hierarchical,peer-to-peer approach reduces communication overhead,mitigates non-IID effects,and eliminates single points of failure.By offloading aggregation to the network edge and leveraging dynamic clustering,CDFL enhances both computational and communication efficiency.Extensive analysis and simulation demonstrate that CDFL outperforms both centralized FL and DFL as the number of clients grows.Specifically,CDFL demonstrates up to a 30%reduction in training time under highly heterogeneous data distributions,indicating faster convergence.It also reduces communication overhead by approximately 40%compared to DFL.These improvements and enhanced network performance metrics highlight CDFL’s effectiveness for practical TIoT deployments.These results validate CDFL as a scalable,privacy-preserving solution for next-generation TIoT applications.展开更多
Human skin exhibits a remarkable capability to perceive contact forces and environmental temperatures,providing complex information that is essential for its subtle control.Despite recent advancements in soft tactile ...Human skin exhibits a remarkable capability to perceive contact forces and environmental temperatures,providing complex information that is essential for its subtle control.Despite recent advancements in soft tactile sensors,accurately decoupling signals—specifically separating forces from directional orientation and temperature—remains a challenge thus resulting in failure to meet the advanced application requirements of robots.This study proposes,F3T,a multilayer soft sensor unit designed to achieve isolated measurements and mathematical decoupling of normal pressure,omnidirectional tangential forces,and temperature.We developed a circular coaxial magnetic film featuring a floating mount multilayer capacitor that facilitated the physical decoupling of normal and tangential forces in all directions.Additionally,we incorporated an ion gel-based temperature-sensing film into the tactile sensor.The proposed sensor was resilient to external pressures and deformations,and could measure temperature and significantly eliminate capacitor errors induced by environmental temperature changes.In conclusion,our novel design allowed for the decoupled measurement of multiple signals,laying the foundation for advancements in high-level robotic motion control,autonomous decision-making,and task planning.展开更多
The rise of wearable electronics and intelligent robotics has created an urgent demand for tactile sensors that are soft,biocompatible,and responsive.Hydrogels,with high water content and mechanical compliance such as...The rise of wearable electronics and intelligent robotics has created an urgent demand for tactile sensors that are soft,biocompatible,and responsive.Hydrogels,with high water content and mechanical compliance such as biological tissues,provide a unique platform for constructing next-generation tactile sensors that mimic human skin’s sensory functions.This paper surveys recent progress in smart hydrogel tactile sensors and systems from fundamental concepts to practical applications.Beyond molecular structural design and material selection,we focus on the discussion and summary of the key sensing mechanisms,including triboelectric,piezoresistive,piezoelectric,piezoionic,and piezocapacitive modes.We also discuss material innovations such as ionic hydrogels,dual-conductive networks,zwitterionic matrices,and nanocomposite reinforcement,highlighting strategies to improve sensitivity,durability,and multifunctionality.Finally,the challenges and possible future directions for smart hydrogel tactile systems are outlined.展开更多
In daily life,human need various senses to obtain information about their surroundings,and touch is one of the five major human sensing signals.Similarly,it is extremely important for robots to be endowed with tactile...In daily life,human need various senses to obtain information about their surroundings,and touch is one of the five major human sensing signals.Similarly,it is extremely important for robots to be endowed with tactile sensing ability.In recent years,vision-based tactile sensing technology has been the research hotspot and frontier in the field of tactile perception.Compared to conventional tactile sensing technologies,vision-based tactile sensing technologies are capable of obtaining highquality and high-resolution tactile information at a lower cost,while not being limited by the size and shape of sensors.Several previous articles have reviewed the sensing mechanism and electrical components of vision-based sensors,greatly promoting the innovation of tactile sensing.Different from existing reviews,this article concentrates on the underlying tracking method which converts real-time images into deformation information,including contact,sliding and friction.We will show the history and development of both model-based and model-free tracking methods,among which model-based approaches rely on schematic mechanical theories,and model-free approaches mainly involve machine learning algorithms.Comparing the efficiency and accuracy of existing deformation tracking methods,future research directions of vision-based tactile sensors for smart manipulations and robots are also discussed.展开更多
基金the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NO.52173028)。
文摘Since the first design of tactile sensors was proposed by Harmon in 1982,tactile sensors have evolved through four key phases:industrial applications(1980s,basic pressure detection),miniaturization via MEMS(1990s),flexible electronics(2010s,stretchable materials),and intelligent systems(2020s-present,AI-driven multimodal sensing).With the innovation of material,processing techniques,and multimodal fusion of stimuli,the application of tactile sensors has been continuously expanding to a diversity of areas,including but not limited to medical care,aerospace,sports and intelligent robots.Currently,researchers are dedicated to develop tactile sensors with emerging mechanisms and structures,pursuing high-sensitivity,high-resolution,and multimodal characteristics and further constructing tactile systems which imitate and approach the performance of human organs.However,challenges in the combination between the theoretical research and the practical applications are still significant.There is a lack of comprehensive understanding in the state of the art of such knowledge transferring from academic work to technical products.Scaled-up production of laboratory materials faces fatal challenges like high costs,small scale,and inconsistent quality.Ambient factors,such as temperature,humidity,and electromagnetic interference,also impair signal reliability.Moreover,tactile sensors must operate across a wide pressure range(0.1 k Pa to several or even dozens of MPa)to meet diverse application needs.Meanwhile,the existing algorithms,data models and sensing systems commonly reveal insufficient precision as well as undesired robustness in data processing,and there is a realistic gap between the designed and the demanded system response speed.In this review,oriented by the design requirements of intelligent tactile sensing systems,we summarize the common sensing mechanisms,inspired structures,key performance,and optimizing strategies,followed by a brief overview of the recent advances in the perspectives of system integration and algorithm implementation,and the possible roadmap of future development of tactile sensors,providing a forward-looking as well as critical discussions in the future industrial applications of flexible tactile sensors.
文摘This study presents a hybrid CNN-Transformer model for real-time recognition of affective tactile biosignals.The proposed framework combines convolutional neural networks(CNNs)to extract spatial and local temporal features with the Transformer encoder that captures long-range dependencies in time-series data through multi-head attention.Model performance was evaluated on two widely used tactile biosignal datasets,HAART and CoST,which contain diverse affective touch gestures recorded from pressure sensor arrays.TheCNN-Transformer model achieved recognition rates of 93.33%on HAART and 80.89%on CoST,outperforming existing methods on both benchmarks.By incorporating temporal windowing,the model enables instantaneous prediction,improving generalization across gestures of varying duration.These results highlight the effectiveness of deep learning for tactile biosignal processing and demonstrate the potential of theCNN-Transformer approach for future applications in wearable sensors,affective computing,and biomedical monitoring.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52525504)Emerging Frontiers Cultivation Program of Tianjin University Interdisciplinary Center.
文摘Tactile feedback is critical for human interaction with external information.Similarly,tactile feedback can enrich the user's sensations when using prosthesis.To explore a potential scheme for tactile feedback,this study applied a non-inva-sive Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation(TENS)to elicit tactile sensations in the hand,which involved median nerve,ulnar nerve,and radial nerve.Ten able-bodied subjects(8 males,2 females)were recruited to participate in the study.An array of 4×2 electrodes was positioned on the medial aspect of the brachii muscle's short head in the upper arm,which is in proximity to the median nerve,ulnar nerve,and radial nerve.Different electrode pairs were randomly selected to elicit distinct sensations at various positions on the hand,and the subjects reported the sensory areas.Then,the sensory areas and sensory thresholds were confirmed through psychophysical methods.According to the experimental results,tactile sensations were elicited at different locations on the subjects'hand through TENS of different electrode pairs.All subjects reported extensive and detailed sensory areas in the fingers,palm,and dorsum,corresponding to the sensory innervation areas of different nerves.The study effectively demonstrated the ability of TENS in evoking tactile feedback in the hand,paving the way for future optimization and development of prosthetic hands.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52272177,12204010)the Foundation for the Introduction of High-Level Talents of Anhui University(S020118002/097)+1 种基金the University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province(GXXT-2023-066)the Scientific Research Project of Anhui Provincial Higher Education Institution(2023AH040008)。
文摘Flexible electronics face critical challenges in achieving monolithic three-dimensional(3D)integration,including material compatibility,structural stability,and scalable fabrication methods.Inspired by the tactile sensing mechanism of the human skin,we have developed a flexible monolithic 3D-integrated tactile sensing system based on a holey MXene paste,where each vertical one-body unit simultaneously functions as a microsupercapacitor and pressure sensor.The in-plane mesopores of MXene significantly improve ion accessibility,mitigate the self-stacking of nanosheets,and allow the holey MXene to multifunctionally act as a sensing material,an active electrode,and a conductive interconnect,thus drastically reducing the interface mismatch and enhancing the mechanical robustness.Furthermore,we fabricate a large-scale device using a blade-coating and stamping method,which demonstrates excellent mechanical flexibility,low-power consumption,rapid response,and stable long-term operation.As a proof-of-concept application,we integrate our sensing array into a smart access control system,leveraging deep learning to accurately identify users based on their unique pressing behaviors.This study provides a promising approach for designing highly integrated,intelligent,and flexible electronic systems for advanced human-computer interactions and personalized electronics.
文摘Tactile sensing of subcutaneous organ vibrations provides a promising route toward human-machine interfaces and wear-able diagnostics,particularly for voice rehabilitation and silent-speech communication.Here,we present a bioinspired piezoelectric vibration sensor that mimics the graded stiffness and stress-based transduction mechanism of otolithic cilia in the human vestibular system.The device consists of a trapezoidal cantilever array with tip inertial masses,fabricated through a hybrid stereolithography 3D printing and laser micromachining process for rapid prototyping without cleanroom facilities.Finite-element modeling and experimental measurements demonstrate a fundamental resonance near 1.2 kHz,a 5%flat-bandwidth of 350 Hz,and an in-band charge sensitivity of 3.17 pC/g.A wearable proof-of-concept test further verifies the sensor's ability to reproducibly distinguish phoneme-specific vibration patterns in both time and frequency domains.This work establishes a foundation for bioinspired tactile sensing front-ends in wearable voice interfaces and other intelligent diagnostic systems integrated with machine-learning algorithms.
基金financially supported by the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2022YFS0025 and 2024YFFK0133)supported by the“Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China.”。
文摘Tactile perception plays a vital role for the human body and is also highly desired for smart prosthesis and advanced robots.Compared to active sensing devices,passive piezoelectric and triboelectric tactile sensors consume less power,but lack the capability to resolve static stimuli.Here,we address this issue by utilizing the unique polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers for the first time and propose a new type of bioinspired,passive,and bio-friendly tactile sensors for resolving both static and dynamic stimuli.Specifically,to emulate the polarization process of natural sensory cells,conjugated polymers(including poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophen e):poly(styrenesulfonate),polyaniline,or polypyrrole)are controllably polarized into two opposite states to create artificial potential differences.The controllable and reversible polarization process of the conjugated polymers is fully in situ characterized.Then,a micro-structured ionic electrolyte is employed to imitate the natural ion channels and to encode external touch stimulations into the variation in potential difference outputs.Compared with the currently existing tactile sensing devices,the developed tactile sensors feature distinct characteristics including fully organic composition,high sensitivity(up to 773 mV N^(−1)),ultralow power consumption(nW),as well as superior bio-friendliness.As demonstrations,both single point tactile perception(surface texture perception and material property perception)and two-dimensional tactile recognitions(shape or profile perception)with high accuracy are successfully realized using self-defined machine learning algorithms.This tactile sensing concept innovation based on the polarization chemistry of conjugated polymers opens up a new path to create robotic tactile sensors and prosthetic electronic skins.
文摘In order to improve the performance of the braincomputer interface system of motor imagery(MI),the optimization of the MI strategy is an effective means.Therefore,this paper proposes a motor-tactile imagery(MTI)strategy to improve the classification accuracy of the MI-based brain-computer interface(BCI)system by adding a corresponding strong correlation of tactile imagery to each imaginary action of the MI.Electroencephalogram(EEG)signals generated by different strategies were collected,and the corresponding classification accuracy was obtained.The experimental results showed that the performance of the MTI-training group was significantly better than that of the MI group and the MTI-without-training group.The MTI strategy proposed in this study can significantly improve the performance of BCI.
文摘This letter provides a concise review of the pertinent literature on visual and tactile hallucinations in elderly patients.The discussion addresses differential diagnoses and potential underlying mechanisms,as well as the psychopathology associated with tactile hallucinations,and emphasizes the necessity for invest-igation into the possibility of coexisting delusional infestation(parasitosis).These symptoms frequently manifest in patients with primary psychotic disorders,organic mental disorders,and substance use disorders.The proposed pathophy-siological mechanisms may involve dopaminergic imbalances and dysfunction of the striatal dopamine transporter.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52475190 and 52275191)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project(No.2024M751165)the Tribology Science Fund of State Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment(No.SKLTKF24B17).
文摘Pacinian Corpuscle(PC)is the largest tactile vibration receptor in mammalian skin,with a layered structure that enables signal amplification and high-pass filtering functions.Modern robots feature vibro-tactile sensors with excellent mechanical properties and fine resolution,but these sensors are prone to low-frequency noise interference when detecting high-frequency vibrations.In this study,a bionic PC with a longitudinally decreasing dynamic fractal structure is proposed.By creating a lumped parameter model of the PC’s layered structure,the bionic PC made of gelatin-chitosan based hydrogel can achieve high-pass filtering and specific frequency band signal amplification without requiring back-end circuits.The experimental results demonstrate that the bionic PC retains the structural characteristics of a natural PC,and the influence of structural factors,such as the number of layers in its shell,on filtration characteristics is explored.Additionally,a vibration source positioning experiment was conducted to simulate the earthquake sensing abilities of elephants.This natural structural design simplifies the filter circuit,is low-cost,cost-effective,stable in performance,and reduces redundancy in the robot’s signal circuit.Integrating this technology with robots can enhance their environmental perception,thereby improving the safety of interactions.
基金supported by National Research Foundation of Korea(2022M3D1A2054488)Technology Innovation Program(20025736,Development of MICS SoC and platform for in-vivo implantable electroceutical device)funded by the Ministry of Trade,Industry&Energy(MOTIE,Korea)。
文摘Piezoelectric and triboelectric effects are of growing interest for facilitating high-sensitivity and self-powered tactile sensor applications.The working principles of piezoelectric and triboelectric nanogenerators provide strategies for enhancing output voltage signals to achieve high sensitivity.Increasing the piezoelectric constant and surface triboelectric charge density are key factors in this enhancement.Methods such as annealing processes,doping techniques,grain orientation controls,crystallinity controls,and composite structures can effectively enhance the piezoelectric constant.For increasing triboelectric output,surface plasma treatment,charge injection,microstructuring,control of dielectric constant,and structural modification are effective methods.The fabrication methods present significant opportunities in tactile sensor applications.This review article summarizes the overall piezoelectric and triboelectric fabrication processes from materials to device aspects.It highlights applications in pressure,touch,bending,texture,distance,and material recognition sensors.The conclusion section addresses challenges and research opportunities,such as limited flexibility,stretchability,decoupling from multi-stimuli,multifunctional sensors,and data processing.
基金supported by FAST(19FAYORA14)of the Canadian Space Agency,Discovery Grant(RGPIN2024-06290)supported by CREATE grant(555425-2021)&Discovery grant(RGPIN-2024-06290)of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
文摘This review explores the current state and future prospects of tactile sensing technologies in space robotics,addressing the unique challenges posed by harsh space environments such as extreme temperatures,radiation,microgravity,and vacuum conditions,which necessitate specialized sensor designs.We provide a detailed analysis of four primary types of tactile sensors:resistive,capacitive,piezoelectric,and optical,evaluating their operating principles,advantages,limitations,and specific applications in space exploration.Recent advancements in materials science,including the development of radiation-hardened components and flexible sensor materials,are discussed alongside innovations in sensor design and integration techniques that enhance performance and durability under space conditions.Through case studies of various space robotic systems,such as Mars rovers,robotic arms like Canadarm,humanoid robots like Robonaut,and specialized robots like Astrobee and LEMUR 3,this review highlights the crucial role of tactile sensing in enabling precise manipulation,environmental interaction,and autonomous operations in space.Moreover,it synthesizes current research and applications to underscore the transformative impact of tactile sensing technologies on space robotics and highlights their pivotal role in expanding human presence and scientific understanding in space,offering strategic insights and recommendations to guide future research and development in this critical field.
基金supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(No.2021R1A2C2095322)supported by Grant Nos.RS-2023-00260527,RS-2023-00231985,RS2023-00235655,and RS-2024-00406007supported by BK21 FOUR(Connected AI Education&Research Program for Industry and Society Innovation,KAIST EE,No.4120200113769).
文摘Next-generation artificial tactile systems demand seamless integration with neuromorphic architectures to support on-edge computation and high-fidelity sensory signal processing.Despite significant advancements,current research remains predominantly focused on optimizing individual sensor elements,and systems utilizing single neuromorphic components encounter inherent limitations in enhancing overall functionality.Here,we present a vertically integrated in-sensor processing platform,which combines a three-dimensional antiferroelectric field-effect transistor(AFEFET)device with an aluminum nitride(AlN)piezoelectric sensor.
基金the Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(No.48)。
文摘It is significant to process textures with special functions similar to animal surfaces based on bionics and improve the friction stability and contact comfort of contact surfaces for the surface texture design of tactile products.In this paper,a bionic hexagonal micro-convex texture was prepared on an acrylic surface by laser processing.The friction mechanism of a finger touching the bionic hexagonal micro-convex texture under different touch speeds and pressures,and the effect of the height of the texture on tactile perception were investigated by finite element,subjective evaluation,friction,and EEG tests.The results showed that the deformation friction was the main friction component when the finger touched the bionic hexagonal texture,and the slipperiness and friction factor showed a significant negative correlation.As the touch speed decreased or the touch force increased,the hysteresis friction of the fingers as well as the interlocking friction increased,and the slipperiness perception decreased.The bionic hexagonal texture with higher convexity caused a higher friction factor,lower slipperiness perception,and lower P300 peak.Hexagonal textures with lower convexity,lower friction factor,and higher slipperiness perception required greater brain attentional resources and intensity of tactile information processing during tactile perception.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.12302192)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.SWU-KQ22025)+4 种基金the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission(No.KJQN202300222)Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing(No.cstc2021jcyj-msxmX0241)the Fund for Innovative Research Groups of Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province(No.A2024202045)Key Technologies and Demonstration Application Research Project for Large-scale Lithium-ion Hybrid Energy Storage Equipment(No.HC23118)Major Basic Research Project of Hebei Province Natural Science Foundation(No.A2023202049).
文摘Ionogels have demonstrated substantial applications in smart wearable systems,soft robotics,and biomedical engineering due to the exceptional ionic conductivity and optical transparency.However,achieving ionogels with desirable mechanical properties,environmental stability,and multi-mode sensing remains challenging.Here,we propose a simple strategy for the fabrication of multifunctional silk fabric-based ionogels(BSFIGs).The resulting fabric ionogels exhibits superior mechanical properties,with high tensile strength(11.3 MPa)and work of fracture(2.53 MJ/m^(3)).And its work of fracture still has 1.42 MJ/m^(3)as the notch increased to 50%,indicating its crack growth insensitivity.These ionogels can be used as sensors for strain,temperature,and tactile multimode sensing,demonstrating a gauge factor of 1.19 and a temperature coefficient of resistance of3.17/℃^(-1).Furthermore,these ionogels can be used for the detection of different roughness and as touch screens.The ionogels also exhibit exceptional optical transmittance and environmental stability even at80℃.Our scalable fabrication process broadens the application potential of these multifunctional ionogels in diverse fields,from smart systems to extreme environments.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants 61631010 and 61806085.
文摘High-fidelity tactile rendering offers significant potential for improving the richness and immersion of touchscreen interactions.This study focuses on a quantitative description of tactile rendering fidelity using a custom-designed hybrid electrovibration and mechanical vibration(HEM)device.An electrovibration and mechanical vibration(EMV)algorithm that renders 3D gratings with different physical heights was proposed and shown to achieve 81%accuracy in shape recognition.Models of tactile rendering fidelity were established based on the evaluation of the height discrimination threshold,and the psychophysical-physical relationships between the discrimination and reference heights were well described by a modification of Weber’s law,with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9.The physiological-physical relationship between the pulse firing rate and the physical stimulation voltage was modeled using the Izhikevich spiking model with a logarithmic relationship.
基金supported by the Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Province(No.2024 GX-YBXM-178)the Shaanxi Province Qinchuangyuan“Scientists+Engineers”Team Development(No.2022KXJ032)。
文摘With the rapid development of flexible electronics,the tactile systems for object recognition are becoming increasingly delicate.This paper presents the design of a tactile glove for object recognition,integrating 243 palm pressure units and 126 finger joint strain units that are implemented by piezoresistive Velostat film.The palm pressure and joint bending strain data from the glove were collected using a two-dimensional resistance array scanning circuit and further converted into tactile images with a resolution of 32×32.To verify the effect of tactile data types on recognition precision,three datasets of tactile images were respectively built by palm pressure data,joint bending strain data,and a tactile data combing of both palm pressure and joint bending strain.An improved residual convolutional neural network(CNN)model,SP-ResNet,was developed by light-weighting ResNet-18 to classify these tactile images.Experimental results show that the data collection method combining palm pressure and joint bending strain demonstrates a 4.33%improvement in recognition precision compared to the best results obtained by using only palm pressure or joint bending strain.The recognition precision of 95.50%for 16 objects can be achieved by the presented tactile glove with SP-ResNet of less computation cost.The presented tactile system can serve as a sensing platform for intelligent prosthetics and robot grippers.
基金supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research(DSR),King Abdulaziz University,Jeddah,under grant No.GPIP:2040-611-2024。
文摘The Tactile Internet of Things(TIoT)promises transformative applications—ranging from remote surgery to industrial robotics—by incorporating haptic feedback into traditional IoT systems.Yet TIoT’s stringent requirements for ultra-low latency,high reliability,and robust privacy present significant challenges.Conventional centralized Federated Learning(FL)architectures struggle with latency and privacy constraints,while fully distributed FL(DFL)faces scalability and non-IID data issues as client populations expand and datasets become increasingly heterogeneous.To address these limitations,we propose a Clustered Distributed Federated Learning(CDFL)architecture tailored for a 6G-enabled TIoT environment.Clients are grouped into clusters based on data similarity and/or geographical proximity,enabling local intra-cluster aggregation before inter-cluster model sharing.This hierarchical,peer-to-peer approach reduces communication overhead,mitigates non-IID effects,and eliminates single points of failure.By offloading aggregation to the network edge and leveraging dynamic clustering,CDFL enhances both computational and communication efficiency.Extensive analysis and simulation demonstrate that CDFL outperforms both centralized FL and DFL as the number of clients grows.Specifically,CDFL demonstrates up to a 30%reduction in training time under highly heterogeneous data distributions,indicating faster convergence.It also reduces communication overhead by approximately 40%compared to DFL.These improvements and enhanced network performance metrics highlight CDFL’s effectiveness for practical TIoT deployments.These results validate CDFL as a scalable,privacy-preserving solution for next-generation TIoT applications.
基金support by Hong Kong RGC General Research Fund(16217824,16213825,16203923,and 16217824)National Natural Science Foundation of China(N_HKUST638/23)+1 种基金Research Grants Council Joint Research Scheme(62361166630)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2023B1515130007).
文摘Human skin exhibits a remarkable capability to perceive contact forces and environmental temperatures,providing complex information that is essential for its subtle control.Despite recent advancements in soft tactile sensors,accurately decoupling signals—specifically separating forces from directional orientation and temperature—remains a challenge thus resulting in failure to meet the advanced application requirements of robots.This study proposes,F3T,a multilayer soft sensor unit designed to achieve isolated measurements and mathematical decoupling of normal pressure,omnidirectional tangential forces,and temperature.We developed a circular coaxial magnetic film featuring a floating mount multilayer capacitor that facilitated the physical decoupling of normal and tangential forces in all directions.Additionally,we incorporated an ion gel-based temperature-sensing film into the tactile sensor.The proposed sensor was resilient to external pressures and deformations,and could measure temperature and significantly eliminate capacitor errors induced by environmental temperature changes.In conclusion,our novel design allowed for the decoupled measurement of multiple signals,laying the foundation for advancements in high-level robotic motion control,autonomous decision-making,and task planning.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(Grant No.2024YFB3211902)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52173274).
文摘The rise of wearable electronics and intelligent robotics has created an urgent demand for tactile sensors that are soft,biocompatible,and responsive.Hydrogels,with high water content and mechanical compliance such as biological tissues,provide a unique platform for constructing next-generation tactile sensors that mimic human skin’s sensory functions.This paper surveys recent progress in smart hydrogel tactile sensors and systems from fundamental concepts to practical applications.Beyond molecular structural design and material selection,we focus on the discussion and summary of the key sensing mechanisms,including triboelectric,piezoresistive,piezoelectric,piezoionic,and piezocapacitive modes.We also discuss material innovations such as ionic hydrogels,dual-conductive networks,zwitterionic matrices,and nanocomposite reinforcement,highlighting strategies to improve sensitivity,durability,and multifunctionality.Finally,the challenges and possible future directions for smart hydrogel tactile systems are outlined.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development of China(Grant No.2022YFB3805700)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12122202 and 12372162)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.2024CX06021).
文摘In daily life,human need various senses to obtain information about their surroundings,and touch is one of the five major human sensing signals.Similarly,it is extremely important for robots to be endowed with tactile sensing ability.In recent years,vision-based tactile sensing technology has been the research hotspot and frontier in the field of tactile perception.Compared to conventional tactile sensing technologies,vision-based tactile sensing technologies are capable of obtaining highquality and high-resolution tactile information at a lower cost,while not being limited by the size and shape of sensors.Several previous articles have reviewed the sensing mechanism and electrical components of vision-based sensors,greatly promoting the innovation of tactile sensing.Different from existing reviews,this article concentrates on the underlying tracking method which converts real-time images into deformation information,including contact,sliding and friction.We will show the history and development of both model-based and model-free tracking methods,among which model-based approaches rely on schematic mechanical theories,and model-free approaches mainly involve machine learning algorithms.Comparing the efficiency and accuracy of existing deformation tracking methods,future research directions of vision-based tactile sensors for smart manipulations and robots are also discussed.
