{"id":188999,"date":"2025-03-21T15:35:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T06:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/?post_type=research-achieve&p=188999"},"modified":"2026-04-13T07:07:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T22:07:32","slug":"ee-professor-jun-bo-yoons-team-achieves-human-level-tactile-sensing-with-breakthrough-pressure-sensor","status":"publish","type":"research-achieve","link":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/en\/research-achieve\/ee-professor-jun-bo-yoons-team-achieves-human-level-tactile-sensing-with-breakthrough-pressure-sensor\/","title":{"rendered":"EE Professor Jun-Bo Yoon\u2019s Team Achieves Human-Level Tactile Sensing with Breakthrough Pressure Sensor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u3008(From left) Professor Jun-Bo Yoon, Dr. Jae-Soon Yang\u3009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recent advancements in robotics have enabled machines to delicately handle fragile objects such as eggs an achievement made possible by fingertip-integrated pressure sensors that provide tactile feedback. However, even the world\u2019s most advanced robots have struggled to accurately detect pressure in environments affected by complex external interference factors such as water, bending, or electromagnetic interference. Our research team has successfully developed a pressure sensor that operates stably without external interference even on a wet smartphone screen and achieves pressure sensing close to the level of human tactile perception.<\/span><\/p>\n

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EE Professor Jun-Bo Yoon\u2019s research team has developed a pressure sensor capable of high-resolution pressure detection even when a smartphone screen is wet from rain or after a shower. Importantly, the sensor is immune to external interference such as \u201cghost touch\u201d (erroneous touch registration) and maintains its performance under these adverse conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Conventional touch systems typically employ a capacitive pressure sensor because of its simple structure and excellent durability, which makes it widely used in smartphones, wearable devices, and robotic human\u2013machine interfaces. However, these sensors are critically vulnerable to external interference, such as water droplets, electromagnetic interference, or bending-induced deformation that can cause malfunctions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Figure 1. (Left) Schematic illustration of a smartphone surface where water impairs proper touch registration on a rainy day. (Center) Schematic diagram showing unintended sensor malfunctions in the presence of interference. (Right) Simulation results of the electric field distribution under normal conditions and in the presence of interference; interference causes distortion of the fringe field.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To address this problem, the research team first investigated the root cause of interference in capacitive pressure sensors. They discovered that the \u201cfringe field\u201d generated at the sensor\u2019s edge is extremely vulnerable to external interference.<\/span><\/p>\n

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To fundamentally resolve this issue, the team concluded that suppressing the fringe field\u2014the source of the problem\u2014was essential. Through theoretical analysis, they closely examined the structural variables that affect the fringe field and confirmed that narrowing the electrode gap to the order of several hundred nanometers could suppress the fringe field to below a few percent of its original level.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Figure 2. (Left) Photograph of the nanogap pressure sensor developed in this study. (Center) Schematic diagram demonstrating how the nanogap design effectively suppresses the fringe field to block external interference. (Right) Electron microscope image of the fabricated nanogap pressure sensor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Utilizing proprietary micro\/nano fabrication techniques, the research team developed a nanogap pressure sensor with an electrode gap of approximately 900 nanometers. The sensor reliably detected pressure regardless of the applied material and maintained its sensing performance even under bending or electromagnetic interference.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Moreover, by leveraging the characteristics of the developed sensor, the team implemented an artificial tactile system. Human skin employs pressure receptors known as Merkel\u2019s discs for tactile sensing. To mimic this function, a pressure sensor technology that responds solely to pressure while remaining unresponsive to external interference was required, a condition that had proven challenging with previous technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The sensor developed by Professor Yoon\u2019s team overcomes these limitations. Its density reaches a level comparable to that of Merkel\u2019s discs, enabling the realization of a wireless, high-precision artificial tactile system.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Figure 3. (Left) Schematic diagram comparing the human method of pressure detection with that of the interference-free, high-resolution nanogap pressure sensor designed to mimic it. (Right) Illustration of a wireless artificial tactile system utilizing the nanogap pressure sensor that can grasp objects even when water is present on the surface. The sensor remains unresponsive to water yet precisely detects pressure.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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To further explore its applicability in various electronic devices, the team also developed a force touch pad system. They demonstrated that this system could obtain high-resolution measurements of pressure magnitude and distribution without interference.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Professor Yoon commented, \u201cOur nanogap pressure sensor operates reliably without malfunctioning, even on rainy days or in sweaty conditions, unlike conventional pressure sensors. We expect this development to alleviate a common inconvenience experienced in everyday life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Figure 4. (Left) Schematic of the force touch pad system implemented using the nanogap pressure sensor, along with an illustration showing the sensor\u2019s surface covered with water. (Center) Multi-touch measurement results obtained using the force touch pad system in a water-covered scenario. (Right) Three-dimensional measurement results accurately depicting pressure magnitude and distribution without interference or cross-talk from water on the sensor\u2019s surface.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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This research, led by Dr. Jae-Soon Yang, PhD Candidate Myung-Kun Chung, along with contributions from Professor Jae-Young Yoo from Sungkyunkwan University, was published in the renowned international journal Nature Communications on February 27, 2025. (Paper title: \u201cInterference-Free Nanogap Pressure Sensor Array with High Spatial Resolution for Wireless Human-Machine Interfaces Applications\u201d, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-025-57232-8<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

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The study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea\u2019s Mid-Career Researcher Support Program and Leading Research Center Support Program.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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