Soft actuators have recently been developed for a variety of functions. These functions include soft grippers, wearbles, Medical devices and artificial muscles. In most of these situations and especially in teleoperation, it is necessary for the tip of the actuator to be able to detect normal and shear forces and give accurate feedback. This will be achieved by a sensor placed at the tip of the actuator. The new posibilities in 3D printing, specifically the combination of different materials and printing of conducting ink make it possible to have the sensor 3D printed.
The main goal of this assignment is to create a 3D printable sensor that can be mounted at the tip of a soft robotic actuator and will be able to detect normal and shear forces in 1 dimension.