Abstract
This paper proposes a novel tactile sensor developed to be used in artificial fingers to measure force and detect vibrations. The sensor measures magnetic flux in space using three orthogonal ratiomatric linear sensors (RLS) placed around a cylindrical niobium magnet. The change in magnetic flux near the RLS is proportional to the inverse third power of the distance from the magnet to the RLS. The magnet and the sensors are covered by a soft overlay which can be deformed when forces are applied. By measuring the change in magnetic flux near the three RLS and using beam bending theory, we could calculate forces applied at the tip of the soft sensor structure.
