Tactile fabric panel in an eight zones structure

Abstract

By introducing a percentage of conductive material during the manufacture of sewing thread, it is possible to obtain a fabric which is able to detect variations in pressure in certain areas. In previous experiments the existence of resistance variations has been demonstrated, although some constrains of cause and effect were found in the fabric. The research has been concentrated in obtaining a fabric that allows electronic detection of its shape changes. Additionally, and because a causal behavior is needed, it is necessary that the fabric recovers its original shape when the external forces cease. The structure of the fabric varies with the type of deformation applied. Two kinds of deformation are described: those caused by stretching and those caused by pressure. This last type of deformation gives different responses depending on the conductivity of the object used to cause the pressure. This effect is related to the type of thread used to manufacture the fabric. So, if the pressure is caused by a finger the response is different compared to the response caused by a conductive object. Another fact that has to be mentioned is that a pressure in a specific point of the fabric can affect other detection points depending on the force applied. This effect is related to the fabric structure. The goals of this article are validating the structure of the fabric used, as well as the study of the two types of deformation mentioned before. © 2007 by MDPI.