A curvature sensor using a solid polymer electrolyte

Abstract

This paper describes a development of a polymer sensor using a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) film. The sensor has a basic structure that an SPE film is sandwiched between thin carbon films, and conductive tapes are attached on each carbon film. The SPE film has a good flexibility and it is one of the most promising electroactive polymers (EAP) with capability to be used as an actuator and a sensor in air. First a displacement sensor using the SPE film was fabricated. The response to deformation was investigated. Then a curvature sensor using the SPE film is proposed. In experiments, it was found that the proposed sensor is available to measure curvature directly without complex calculations.