High Resolution Tactile Distribution Sensor Using Active Matrix Technology.

To visualize the distribution of tactile pressure, passive matrix (PM) technologies are widely used in a variety of fields such as industrial, sports, and robotics. PM technologies are powerful addressing methods with simple structures, low cost, and easy fabrications, however, have a trade-off between the resolution and the size of the sensor. On the other hand, active matrix (AM) technologies are standard scheme for large/high-resolution flat panel displays to apply certain voltage sequentially on each pixel through switching of thin film transistors. With the insertion of current monitoring circuits, flat panel technologies can be applied for two-dimensional distribution sensors. Here, we demonstrate the possibility of AM technologies for tactile distribution sensors to overcome the trade-off.