Cornell University researchers have created a fiber-optic sensor that combines low-cost LEDs and dyes, resulting in a stretchable “skin” that detects deformations such as pressure, bending, and strain. This sensor could give soft robotic systems and anyone using augmented reality technology the ability to feel the same rich, tactile sensations that mammals depend on to navigate the natural world.
Bai drew inspiration from silica-based distributed fiber-optic sensors and developed a stretchable light guide for multimodal sensing (SLIMS). This long tube contains a pair of polyurethane elastomeric cores. One core is transparent; the other is filled with absorbing dyes at multiple locations and connects to an LED. Each core is coupled with a red-green-blue sensor chip to register geometric changes in the optical path of light. The researchers designed a 3D-printed glove with a SLIMS sensor running along with each finger. The glove is powered by a lithium battery and equipped with Bluetooth so it can transmit data to basic software, which Bai designed, that reconstructs the glove’s movements and deformations in real-time.
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