Sensors, Vol. 20, Pages 1123: Design and Evaluation of Magnetic Hall Effect Tactile Sensors for Use in Sensorized Splints

Sensors, Vol. 20, Pages 1123: Design and Evaluation of Magnetic Hall Effect Tactile Sensors for Use in Sensorized Splints Sensors doi: 10.3390/s20041123 Authors: Dominic Jones Lefan Wang Ali Ghanbari Vasiliki Vardakastani Angela E. Kedgley Matthew D. Gardiner Tonia L. Vincent Peter R. Culmer Ali Alazmani Splinting techniques are widely used in medicine to inhibit the movement of arthritic joints. Studies into the effectiveness of splinting as a method of pain reduction have generally yielded positive results, however, no significant difference has been found in clinical outcomes between splinting types. Tactile sensing has shown great promise for the integration into splinting devices and may offer further information into applied forces to find the most effective methods of splinting. Hall effect-based tactile sensors are of particular interest in this application owing to their low-cost, small size, and high robustness. One complexity of the sensors is the relationship between the elastomer geometry and the measurement range. This paper investigates the design parameters of Hall effect tactile sensors for use in hand splinting. Finite element simulations are used to locate the areas in which sensitivity is high in order to optimise the deflection range of the sensor. Further simulations then investigate the mechanical response and force ranges of the elastomer layer under loading which are validated with experimental data. A 4 mm radius, 3 mm-thick s...
Source: Sensors - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research