An optoelectronics-based sensor for measuring multi-axial shear stresses

摘要: There is an increasing need for tactile shear sensors, particularly for medical applications such as orthopedic rehabilitation. Examples include measuring interfacial shear stresses between a residual limb and prosthesis to monitor socket fit and improve residual limb tissue health, and tracking shearing between a foot and shoe for assessing performance in athletes. However, there are considerable challenges in implementing shear force sensors for orthopedic applications due to the requirements for noninvasiveness, low mass, low power, and robustness against motion artifacts, normal force, and/or electromagnetic fields. To address these challenges, we designed, fabricated, and characterized a simple, low-cost, optoelectronic sensor that can measure multi-axial shear stresses. This novel sensor is based on a red, green, and blue (RGB) light-emitting diode (LED) projecting a cyclic illumination of RGB light onto …