title: Intrinsic embedded sensors for polymeric mechatronics: flexure and force sensing.
abstract: While polymeric fabrication processes, including recent advances in additive manufacturing, have revolutionized manufacturing, little work has been done on effective sensing elements compatible with and embedded within polymeric structures. In this paper, we describe the development and evaluation of two important sensing modalities for embedding in polymeric mechatronic and robotic mechanisms: multi-axis flexure joint angle sensing utilizing IR phototransistors, and a small (12 mm), three-axis force sensing via embedded silicon strain gages with similar performance characteristics as an equally sized metal element based sensor.
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. ljentoft@seas.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Leif P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Jentoft
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. aaron.dollar@yale.edu.
authors.forename: Aaron M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dollar
authors.affiliation: Formerly with the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. cwagner@post.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. howe@seas.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Howe