A bioinspired dual-modal laser-induced graphene tactile sensor for high-precision multimodal object recognition

Abstract

Developing multifunctional tactile sensors that combine multimodal perception with structural simplicity remains challenging for embodied perception. Inspired by trichoid sensilla on wasp antennae, we present a dual-modal bioinspired trichoid tactile sensor (BTTS) that integrates both piezoresistive and triboelectric effects. The BTTS consists of vertically aligned rough-substrate laser-induced graphene fibers (RLIGFs) formed on a laser-pretreated polyimide substrate, creating a hierarchical bionic architecture with staggered microstructures. This design produces distinguishable electrical signals when contacting objects of different shapes and material types. A BTTS-based wireless wearable system (BWWS) is further developed for multichannel real-time tactile signal acquisition and wireless transmission. Machine-learning-assisted fusion and classification of BWWS signals enable simultaneous recognition of object shape and material type, achieving 95.6% accuracy across eight objects. Owing to its simple structure, rapid fabrication, and low cost, the proposed BTTS shows strong potential for embodied perception, humanoid robotics, and wearable devices.