Design of a Capacitive Tactile Sensor Array System for Human–Computer Interaction

• DOI: 10.3390/s24206629
• Publication Date: 2024-10-16T11:58:32Z
• Authors: Fei Fei; Zhenkun Jia; Changcheng Wu; Xiong Lu; Zhi Li
• Keywords: capacitive sensing; Gestures; Chemical technology; TP1-1185; Equipment Design; Electric Capacitance; Article; inkjet deposition printing; User-Computer Interface; Touch; human–computer interaction; tactile sensor; Humans; Algorithms

This paper introduces a novel capacitive sensor array designed for tactile perception applications. Utilizing an all-in-one inkjet deposition printing process, the sensor array exhibited exceptional flexibility and accuracy. With a resolution of up to 32.7 dpi, the sensor array was capable of capturing the fine details of touch inputs, making it suitable for applications requiring high spatial resolution. The design incorporates two multiplexers to achieve a scanning rate of 100 Hz, ensuring the rapid and responsive data acquisition that is essential for real-time feedback in interactive applications, such as gesture recognition and haptic interfaces. To evaluate the performance of the capacitive sensor array, an experiment that involved handwritten number recognition was conducted. The results demonstrated that the sensor accurately captured fingertip inputs with a high precision. When combined with an Auxiliary Classifier Generative Adversarial Network (ACGAN) algorithm, the sensor system achieved a recognition accuracy of 98% for various handwritten numbers from “0” to “9”. These results show the potential of the capacitive sensor array for advanced human–computer interaction applications.