Tracking fabric deformation using tendon-inspired sensors

초록

In this paper, we propose a sensing system for the detection of fabric deformation using multiple tendon-inspired sensors. Specifically, the piezoelectric sensors in the sensing system are positioned on the corner of a fabric in a fan-shaped configuration. Additionally, sewing threads are connected to the sensors and are tied to the edges of the sensing area, transferring tensile force to the sensors. With this configuration, the sensors occupy only approximately 4.9% of the total sensing area, enabling significant expansion of the movement tracking region. A series of experiments is conducted under various experimental conditions, including the shape of the supporting plates and pulling distances, to evaluate the relationship between the sensor output and the corresponding curvatures. From these results, the curvature of the fabric is found to be estimable using the relationship between the voltage and the curvature. Furthermore, a virtual simulation of fabric deformation is conducted to visualize the real-time change in fabric surface, demonstrating the feasibility of the sensing system. Moreover, we discuss the theoretical expectation for the tendon-inspired sensors and the effect of fabric size on the sensing system.

키워드