Multi-physical simulation and decoupling of a flexible resistance-type three-dimensional force sensor

In the present work, aiming at meeting the requirements of flexibility and three-dimensional force detection, a novel tactile sensor based on conductive and insulating rubbers was designed. Specifically, the microstructural unit consisting of three columns was orderly arranged in the cuboid made up of insulating rubbers. The microstructural units were prepared by conductive rubbers. According to the related theories of material mechanics, the relation between the resistance values of the columns and the applied three-dimensional forces was analyzed. Using COMSOL software, the multi-physical simulations were performed on the designed sensor, and the simulation results fit well with our conclusions on the variation tendency of resistance values. Finally, in order to eliminate the coupling effects among different dimensions, a decoupling algorithm based on BP neural network was proposed, and the results indicate that the designed sensor can accurately detect the three-dimensional force.