Additive Manufacturing of an Airflow Sensor Inspired by the Flat Trichobothria of Scorpions

Nature has always inspired humans to create innovative tools. Arachnids show exceptional and functional sensory receptors at a small scale. Air flow mechanoreceptors, commonly called trichobothria, are used in different shapes and sizes by several arachnid species. The goal of this work is to develop flat hair-like sensors inspired by the adult Buthus occitanus scorpion. A sensor that responds to airflow has been developed and realized using multi-material additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing). The sensor has been sputter coated with platinum to add piezoresistive sensing capabilities. Preliminary results with an unbalanced voltage divider show a promising response in the mV region.