Self-powered, ultra-sensitive, flexible tactile sensors based on contact electrification

Patent · 20 March 2018

OSTI ID:1429366

Wang, Zhong Lin; Zhu, Guang

A tactile sensor for sensing touch from a human finger includes a triboelectric layer and includes a material that becomes electrically charged after being in contact with the finger. The first side of a first conductive layer is in contact with the second side of triboelectric layer. The first side of a dielectric layer is in contact with the first conductive layer and the second side of the dielectric layer is in contact with a second conductive layer. When the triboelectric layer becomes electrically charged after being in contact with the finger, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are subjected to an electric field, which has a first field strength at the first conductive layer and a second field strength, different from the first field strength, at the second conductive layer. A plurality of tactile sensors can be arranged as a keyboard.

• Research Organization: Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-07ER46394
• Assignee: Georgia Tech Research Corporation (Atlanta, GA)
• Patent Number(s): 9,921,678
• Application Number: 14/818,908
• OSTI ID: 1429366
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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