Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review

During the last decades, tactile sensors based on different sensing principles have been developed due to the growing interest in robotics and, mainly, in medical applications. Several technological solutions have been employed to design tactile sensors; in particular, solutions based on microfabric...

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Main Authors:	Paola Saccomandi, Emiliano Schena, Calogero Maria Oddo, Loredana Zollo, Sergio Silvestri, Eugenio Guglielmelli
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	MDPI AG 2014-11-01
Series:	Biosensors
Subjects:	tactile sensors microfabrication medicine prosthetic hands artificial skin biomechanical measurements microsurgery endoscopy
Online Access:	http://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/4/4/422

id	doaj-art-e5e9d1bc11034a98989da90328386174
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	doaj-art-e5e9d1bc11034a98989da903283861742018-09-02T19:54:18ZengMDPI AGBiosensors2079-63742014-11-014442244810.3390/bios4040422bios4040422Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A ReviewPaola Saccomandi0Emiliano Schena1Calogero Maria Oddo2Loredana Zollo3Sergio Silvestri4Eugenio Guglielmelli5Center for Integrated Research, Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, ItalyCenter for Integrated Research, Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, ItalyThe BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera (PI) 56025, ItalyCenter for Integrated Research, Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, ItalyCenter for Integrated Research, Unit of Measurements and Biomedical Instrumentation, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, ItalyCenter for Integrated Research, Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Álvaro del Portillo, Rome 21-00128, ItalyDuring the last decades, tactile sensors based on different sensing principles have been developed due to the growing interest in robotics and, mainly, in medical applications. Several technological solutions have been employed to design tactile sensors; in particular, solutions based on microfabrication present several attractive features. Microfabrication technologies allow for developing miniaturized sensors with good performance in terms of metrological properties (e.g., accuracy, sensitivity, low power consumption, and frequency response). Small size and good metrological properties heighten the potential role of tactile sensors in medicine, making them especially attractive to be integrated in smart interfaces and microsurgical tools. This paper provides an overview of microfabricated tactile sensors, focusing on the mean principles of sensing, i.e., piezoresistive, piezoelectric and capacitive sensors. These sensors are employed for measuring contact properties, in particular force and pressure, in three main medical fields, i.e., prosthetics and artificial skin, minimal access surgery and smart interfaces for biomechanical analysis. The working principles and the metrological properties of the most promising tactile, microfabricated sensors are analyzed, together with their application in medicine. Finally, the new emerging technologies in these fields are briefly described.http://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/4/4/422tactile sensorsmicrofabricationmedicineprosthetic handsartificial skinbiomechanical measurementsmicrosurgeryendoscopy
institution	Open Data Bank
collection	Open Access Journals
building	Directory of Open Access Journals
language	English
format	Article
author	Paola Saccomandi Emiliano Schena Calogero Maria Oddo Loredana Zollo Sergio Silvestri Eugenio Guglielmelli
spellingShingle	Paola Saccomandi Emiliano Schena Calogero Maria Oddo Loredana Zollo Sergio Silvestri Eugenio Guglielmelli Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review Biosensors tactile sensors microfabrication medicine prosthetic hands artificial skin biomechanical measurements microsurgery endoscopy
author_facet	Paola Saccomandi Emiliano Schena Calogero Maria Oddo Loredana Zollo Sergio Silvestri Eugenio Guglielmelli
author_sort	Paola Saccomandi
title	Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review
title_short	Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review
title_full	Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review
title_fullStr	Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review
title_full_unstemmed	Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review
title_sort	microfabricated tactile sensors for biomedical applications: a review
publisher	MDPI AG
series	Biosensors
issn	2079-6374
publishDate	2014-11-01
description	During the last decades, tactile sensors based on different sensing principles have been developed due to the growing interest in robotics and, mainly, in medical applications. Several technological solutions have been employed to design tactile sensors; in particular, solutions based on microfabrication present several attractive features. Microfabrication technologies allow for developing miniaturized sensors with good performance in terms of metrological properties (e.g., accuracy, sensitivity, low power consumption, and frequency response). Small size and good metrological properties heighten the potential role of tactile sensors in medicine, making them especially attractive to be integrated in smart interfaces and microsurgical tools. This paper provides an overview of microfabricated tactile sensors, focusing on the mean principles of sensing, i.e., piezoresistive, piezoelectric and capacitive sensors. These sensors are employed for measuring contact properties, in particular force and pressure, in three main medical fields, i.e., prosthetics and artificial skin, minimal access surgery and smart interfaces for biomechanical analysis. The working principles and the metrological properties of the most promising tactile, microfabricated sensors are analyzed, together with their application in medicine. Finally, the new emerging technologies in these fields are briefly described.
topic	tactile sensors microfabrication medicine prosthetic hands artificial skin biomechanical measurements microsurgery endoscopy
url	http://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/4/4/422
_version_	1612628079986868224

Microfabricated Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review

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