A magnetic type tactile sensor by GMR elements and inductors

A novel magnetic type tactile sensor is proposed. This sensor can measure a three-axis force vector and detect a slip. The structure is simple, and this sensor consists of two layers, an elastic layer and a substrate layer. The elastic layer is made of an elastic material and has a cylindrical permanent magnet. The substrate layer is a glass epoxy board and has four GMR(giant magneto resistance) elements and four chip inductors. Each element outputs voltages as to a magnetic flux density when the elastic layer deforms by a contact. A force vector and a slip detection are calculated from these outputs. Laboratory experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of this tactile sensor.