Force and proximity sensors are key in robotics, especially when applied in collaborative robots that interact physically or cognitively with humans in real unstructured environments. However, most existing sensors for use in robotics are limited by: 1) their scope, measuring single parameters/events and often requiring multiple types of sensors, 2) being expensive to manufacture, limiting their use to where they are strictly necessary and often compromising redundancy, and 3) have null or reduced physical flexibility, requiring further costs with adaptation to a variety of robot structures. This paper presents a novel mechanically flexible force and proximity hybrid sensor based on piezoresistive and self-capacitive phenomena. The sensor is inexpensive and easy to apply even on complex-shaped robot structures. The manufacturing process is described, including controlling circuits, mechanical design, and data acquisition. Experimental trials featuring the characterisation of the sensor were conducted, focusing on both force-electrical resistance and self-capacitive proximity response. The sensor's versatility, flexibility, thinness (1 mm thickness), accuracy (reduced drift) and repeatability demonstrated its applicability in several domains. Finally, the sensor was successfully applied in two distinct situations: hand guiding a robot (by touch commands), and human-robot collision avoidance (by proximity detection).

翻译：力传感器与接近传感器是机器人技术中的关键元件，尤其在应用于非结构化真实环境中与人类进行物理或认知交互的协作机器人时。然而，大多数现有机器人传感器受限于以下三点：1) 功能范围有限，仅能测量单一参数/事件，往往需要多种传感器协同工作；2) 制造成本高昂，导致仅能在严格必要的场合使用，且常牺牲冗余设计；3) 缺乏或仅有有限物理柔性，需额外成本以适应不同机器人结构。本文提出一种基于压阻与自电容现象的新型机械柔性力与接近混合传感器。该传感器成本低廉，易于应用于复杂形状的机器人结构上。本文描述了包括控制电路、机械设计与数据采集在内的制造工艺，并开展了以力-电阻响应及自电容接近响应为焦点的传感器特性实验。该传感器在多功能性、柔性、薄型化（厚度1毫米）、精度（低漂移）及可重复性方面的表现验证了其在多个领域的适用性。最后，该传感器成功应用于两种不同场景：通过触觉指令实现的手引导机器人操作，以及通过接近检测实现的人机碰撞规避。