Where the rubber meets the hand: Unlocking the sensing potential of dielectric elastomers. Issue 4 (6th October 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xu, Daniel; Tairych, Andreas; Anderson, Iain A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of polymer science. Volume 54:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 465
• Page End: 472
• Publication Date: 2015-10-06
• Subjects: dielectric elastomer sensor -- localized capacitance -- musical keyboard -- transmission line; 547
• DOI: 10.1002/polb.23926
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0887-6266

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Practice makes perfect to some extent. Research has shown that musicians who practice the piano for long periods of time can suffer a range of hand problems from loss of control to diminished speed. Now imagine a rubber keyboard that is springy, soft, and elastic. This is the new type of input device that dielectric elastomers (DE) can create. However their usage in large sensing systems is limited by a scalability challenge. Each DE sensor is married to a pair of connection cables and electronics, adding to the complexity of the background overheads. A new efficient multi‐frequency method is presented that is capable of detecting internal pressure changes from a difference in the DE's capacitance without the need for any additional wires or connections. This effectively segments the DE into smaller sections, achieving information from a single sensor equivalent to multiple sensors. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys.2016, 54, 465–472 Abstract : Softer touch interfaces pave the way for a more natural contact with the human body. Dielectric elastomer (DE) sensors were constructed into a musical keyboard, demonstrating a new sensing method that is able to detect localized changes in the sensor's capacitance. This allows different regions of the DE to be used as independent sensors, achieving improved scalability and simplification for multidegree of freedom systems.