Intelligent Pressure Sensing Pad (IPSP)

Yu-Tze Lai, Chun-Ting Chen, Cheng-Wen Ma, and Ming-Yuan Cheng

This work presents a novel design of highly twistable tactile sensing array which will be used as intelligent pressure sensing pad for bedsore prophylaxis.  The proposed device, which employ extendable spiral electrodes, are highly flexible and durable so that it can conform to more complex surfaces without damaging the skin structure and the metal interconnects on the sensing array.  Polydimethylsiloxsane (PDMS) is employed as the main structure material of the skin, and the conductive polymer is used as the tactile sensing elements. The corresponding scanning circuit for resistive sensing array will also be designed and implemented.  The electrical and mechanical characteristics of conductive polymer are measured, and the pressure images induced by external forces of different shapes are successfully captured.