Force intensity and direction measurement in real time using miniature tactile sensor withl microcantilevers embedded in PDMS

Intensity and direction of normal and shear (3-axial) forces have been measured by using a tactile sensor with NiCr strain gauge film on 3 microcantilevers. Output voltage of the Wheatstone bridge which includes a gauge film is measured as digital signal after amplification. 3-axial forces are calculated from the output voltages of 3 microcantilevers every 100 ms. When normal force is applied from 0 to 1 N, the measurement errors of normal and shear forces are less than 50 mN and 10 mN, respectively. When shear force of 0.1 and 0.2 N is applied, the angle error of evaluated direction is less than 10°.