Development of a triboelectric palm-like sensor aiming at underwater perceptual construction

Marine mammals relying on tactile still maintain a remarkably high prey capture rate without visual or acoustic detection. A similar ability has not been fully developed in artificial perceptual systems of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) to gather information about physical objects. A palm-like tactile sensor based on a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), aiming at constructing an underwater perceptual system, is designed in this paper. The proposed device mimics the structure of the palm of a sea otter, and its neural structure can also provide clues confirming the importance of tactile information. It is composed of a triboelectric sensor unit for sensing external stimuli, flexible support, fixed frame, upper hatch cover for sealing, and flexible cover. With palm structure and TENG assistance, the tactile sensor can detect the external load magnitude and approximate the external stimulation area without the effect of contact frequency. The experimental results demonstrated that a triboelectric tactile sensor is a promising tool for integration into AUVs’ grippers.