Abstract
In an aging society with fewer children, the reduction of medical costs and preservation of medical resources are important. Automated devices and robots are expected to perform healthcare diagnosis and nursing care support instead of physicians, nurses, and care workers. Sensors are very important for the dexterous work undertaken by these devices and robots with five senses, similar to humans. Visual and acoustic sensing have been highly developed using image sensors and microphones based on semiconductors and micromachining technologies. However, a basic device for tactile sensing with low cost and miniature size has not yet been invented, despite its necessity for automated palpation, robotic surgery, and human support robots. Therefore, tactile sensors fabricated by micromachining technologies have attracted much attention in recent years. We also have developed a micro-sized tactile sensor based on micromachining technologies that can detect normal and shear forces along with light intensity. We demonstrate that the dexterous handling of flexible objects, such as a human body, and human skin evaluation can be performed with the developed tactile sensor.
