Soft and stretchable sensor using biocompatible
electrodes and liquid for medical applications

Russo, S; Ranzani, T; Liu, H; Nefti-Meziani, S; Althoefer, K; Menciassi, A

Abstract

This article introduces a soft and stretchable sensor composed of silicone rubber integrating a conductive liquidfilled
channel with a biocompatible sodium chloride (NaCl) solution and novel stretchable gold sputtered
electrodes to facilitate the biocompatibility of the sensor. By stretching the sensor, the cross section of the channel
deforms, thus leading to a change in electrical resistance. The functionalities of the sensor have been validated
experimentally: changes in electrical resistance are measured as a function of the applied strain. The experimentally
measured values match theoretical predictions, showing relatively low hysteresis. A preliminary assessment
on the proposed sensor prototype shows good results with a maximum tested strain of 64%. The design
optimization of the saline solution, the electrodes, and the algebraic approximations derived for integrating the
sensors in a flexible manipulator for surgery has been discussed. The contribution of this article is the introduction
of the biocompatible and stretchable gold sputtered electrodes integrated with the NaCl-filled channel rubber as a
fully biocompatible solution for measuring deformations in soft and stretchable medical instruments.

Citation

electrodes and liquid for medical applications. Soft Robotics, 2(4), 146-154. https://doi.org/10.1089/soro.2015.0011

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 20, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Dec 21, 2015
• Publication Date: Dec 21, 2015
• Deposit Date: Nov 18, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 26, 2017
• Journal: Soft Robotics
• Print ISSN: 2169-5172
• Electronic ISSN: 2169-5180
• Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 146-154
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/soro.2015.0011
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/soro.2015.0011
• Related Public URLs: http://www.liebertpub.com/overview/soft-robotics/616/
• Additional Information: Funders : The People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/; Projects : SMART-e Sustainable manufacturing through Advanced Robotics Training in Europe; Grant Number: 608022