Nanomesh pressure sensor for monitoring finger manipulation without sensory interference

TLDR

Sensors placed on fingertips to measure grasp force interfere with the force applied, limiting accurate measurement. The authors built a nanomesh pressure sensor from electrospun materials. Robotic testing shows the sensor reliably detects gripping pressure, and attaching it to human fingers does not alter grasp force. Published in Science, this issue p.

Abstract

A soft touch Measuring the force it takes for a hand to grasp an object requires sensors to be placed on the fingertips, but these sensors will interfere with or affect how much force ends up being applied. Lee et al. developed a nanomesh sensor built from a series of electrospun materials (see the Perspective by Liu). Using a robotic tester, they show that this device can repeatably detect the pressure involved in gripping an object. They also show that the sensors can be attached to human fingers and that this does not affect the force used to grasp an object. Science , this issue p. 966 ; see also p. 910