LOW-COST FABRICATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF A FLEXIBLE GRAPHITE-BASED TOUCH SENSOR

Abstract

This paper presents a new method to produce a flexible piezoresistive sensor based on graphite. Under the premise of low-cost manufacturing, the materials used are easy to acquire and the manufacturing process consists of a simple transfer and exfoliation of a graphite paste thus obtaining flexible sheets. These sensors exhibit high sensitivity to touch and pressure. To characterise their response, an ad hoc method has been developed to recreate the interaction of the sensor with a human finger, which is shown in detail. The result presented is a highly sensitive graphite sensor, stable, easily integrated and with multiple application possibilities, for example in intelligent prostheses, in systems for capturing the movement of the human body and even for use as synthetic skin. Key Words: Graphite, piezoresistive flexible sensor, low cost, tactile, synthetic skin.