Piezoresistive sensor fiber composites based on silicone elastomers for the monitoring of the position of a robot arm Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Silvain Michel, Frank Clemens
Combining conductive fillers like carbon black with elastomers allows the development of soft elastomer strain sensors that can reach very large elongations, an important requirement for many robotic applications. However, when the conductive filler is introduced in the polymer, significant stiffening occurs, affecting the mechanical properties, e.g. Young’s Modulus, of the soft structure. In this attempt, single piezoresistive fiber composites were successfully fabricated, without drastically increasing the stiffness. Two silicone elastomers that are widely used in robotic applications were ...