Porous elastomer based wide range flexible pressure sensor for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

Hosseini, E. S., Chakraborty, M. , Roe, J., Petillot, Y. and Dahiya, R. (2022) Porous elastomer based wide range flexible pressure sensor for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. IEEE Sensors Journal, 22(10), pp. 9914-9921. (doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2022.3165560)

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Abstract

This work presents the design and implementation of a porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based wide-range flexible pressure sensor for autonomous underwater vehicles. The capacitive sensor, with porous PDMS as dielectric, is encapsulated in bulk PDMS polymer. The fabricated sensor was evaluated over a wide pressure range (0-230 kPa), which is similar to pressures experienced up to approx. 24m below the sea level. The sensors showed linear response when tested in air and near-linear response (98%) when submerged in water. The sensor showed much higher sensitivity (0.375 kPa-1) in water than in the air environment. However, the sensor exhibited the performance and sensitivity similar to the air condition (0.005 kPa-1) when the readout electronics (encapsulated inside a watertight enclosure) was also submerged inside the water along with the sensor. The fabricated sensor also exhibited fast response and recovery time (190 ms), as well as excellent repeatability and stability (no drift) over tested range of 50 loading and unloading cycles. These results demonstrate the suitability of presented sensors for potential use in applications requiring a wide range of pressure, particularly the underwater robotics where real-time pressure monitoring is critical for autonomous operation.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This work was supported in part by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through Engineering fellowship for Growth (EP/R029644/1) and ORCA Partnership Resource Fund Project MUSES (EP/R026173/1).
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Dahiya, Professor Ravinder and Chakraborty, Dr Moupali
Authors: Hosseini, E. S., Chakraborty, M., Roe, J., Petillot, Y., and Dahiya, R.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
Journal Name:IEEE Sensors Journal
Publisher:IEEE
ISSN:1530-437X
ISSN (Online):1558-1748
Published Online:11 April 2022
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2021 IEEE
First Published:First published in IEEE Sensors Journal 22(10): 9914-9921
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
301728Engineering Fellowships for Growth: Printed Tactile SKINRavinder DahiyaEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)EP/R029644/1ENG - Electronics & Nanoscale Engineering