Vellus Hair-Inspired Triboelectric Antenna for Approach and Pressure Sensing

Mimicking the human sensory function of hair tissue for robotic tactile and noncontact perception is significant but remains challenging. In this work, we designed a triboelectric artificial antenna (TAA) with controllable mechanical properties inspired by the structure of human hair to achieve proximity perception and detection of weak pressure. External forces or charged objects can disturb the original spatial electric field generated by space charges in the polymer fibers, leading to changes in the potentials on the electrodes of the triboelectric device. This enables the device to detect both mechanical pressure and the approach of charged objects. Owing to the low Young's modulus of the fiber structure, the sensitivity of TAA can reach 70.4 kPa^-1 within the range of 3.3-137 Pa and 5.8 kPa^-1 within the pressure detection range of 137-2289 Pa. By controlling the physical parameters of the fiber array, the factors that affect the sensitivity and pressure detection range are investigated. Finally, installing four TAAs on an automated guided vehicle endows the vehicle with the self-perception ability to approach and collide with obstacles, holding promise for large-scale application in the fields of autonomous driving and intelligent vehicles.