Tactile Sensor Arrays Conform To Difficult Surfaces

The T-2000 tactile sensor system uses a conformable array of pressure sensors to quantify the sense of touch. Designed to easily bend and form to objects with complex shapes such as the human hand, tool handles, joystick controls, or feet, the system is sensitive enough to acquire pressure data such as a pulse felt at skin level and flexible enough to check the fit of a helmet, shoe or prosthetic. The T-2000 is based on a proprietary technology that uses capacitive pressure sensors rather than resistive devices. This approach reportedly allows the system to continuously deliver reliable data after only one initial calibration. A single system can be configured with 16 to 256 sensor elements in array sizes up to almost six square inches. Custom configurations are also available. Included Windows-based software supports several modes of operation for real-time data display and capture. Data acquisition rates range up to 10 kHz and output can be selected in ASCII format for exporting to Excel or in binary format for use with MatLab. Prices start at $6,500 for a system with a 4 x 4-element array. For more information, call Bruce Gretz at PRESSURE PROFILE SYSTEMS INC., Los Angeles, CA. (310) 641-8100.