Soft and stretchable force sensors are widely used for health monitoring, robotics, prosthetics, and other applications. Soft force sensors with the capability of measuring both normal and shear force could offer even greater functionality and provide more information, particularly in the field of biomechanics. In this work, a new solid-state force sensor is proposed that can measure both normal and shear forces at the same time. The soft and stretchable sensor was fabricated using an ionic liquid (IL)/polymer network. Two separate IL-based polymer membranes were used to detect normal and shear forces. Sensor architecture and electrical wiring for normal, shear, and combined sensing were developed, and various material compositions for different sensor layers were investigated to find the combination that could achieve the optimum sensor performance. A basic material formulation for carbon nanotube-based electrodes, the IL/polymer network, and polymeric insulation layers was proposed. To configure a combined (normal and shear) sensor, separate sensors for normal and shear deformations were first designed and investigated. Later, a combined sensor was fabricated using a mold via screen printing, photocuring, and thermal curing. The combined sensor was evaluated under different force conditions. The results show that the sensor can reliably measure normal and shear forces. Moreover, the findings demonstrate a way to successfully modulate the sensitivity for normal and shear sensing by varying the material composition or geometric configuration, which provides flexibility for application-specific designs.

中文翻译：

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一种基于离子液体的可伸缩传感器，用于测量法向力和剪切力。

柔软且可拉伸的力传感器广泛用于健康监测、机器人、假肢和其他应用。具有测量法向力和剪切力能力的软力传感器可以提供更强大的功能并提供更多信息，特别是在生物力学领域。在这项工作中，提出了一种可以同时测量法向力和剪切力的新型固态力传感器。柔软且可拉伸的传感器是使用离子液体 (IL)/聚合物网络制造的。两个独立的基于 IL 的聚合物膜用于检测法向力和剪切力。开发了用于正常、剪切和组合传感的传感器架构和电气布线，研究了不同传感器层的各种材料成分，以找到可以实现最佳传感器性能的组合。提出了基于碳纳米管的电极、IL/聚合物网络和聚合物绝缘层的基本材料配方。为了配置组合（法向和剪切）传感器，首先设计和研究了用于法向变形和剪切变形的单独传感器。后来，通过丝网印刷、光固化和热固化使用模具制造了组合传感器。组合传感器在不同的力条件下进行了评估。结果表明，该传感器能够可靠地测量法向力和剪切力。而且，