Analysis and optimization of fully foam-based capacitive sensors

Abstract

This paper presents the electromechanical analysis of ultra-light and highly compressible capacitive pressure sensors based on open-cell foams, with top and bottom surface electrodes built by PEDOT:PSS coating. Multiple samples of porous capacitive sensors were characterized, and experimental results were compared by means of both FEM simulations and theoretical analysis. The agreement between experiments and theoretical/numerical prediction is good, suggesting that this methodology can be a useful tool for fine tuning of the sensor performance (i.e. sensitivity, range) for specific applications. Finally, the proposed foam sensor provides a low-cost, easy-to-implement, robust sensing solution for real-world applications in robotics and wearable systems.