Abstract
<p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Sensitivity maximization for capacitive tactile sensors (CTSs) by engineering the geometry of spacer was studied in this work as a universal solution. Three spacer shapes (square, circular, and diamond), four dimensions (from 300 to 900 µm with 200 µm a step), and five arrangements (locations) were studied. The optimized solution was obtained and verified through the Taguchi method, numerical evaluation, and experimental examination. Results indicated that the CTS exhibited noticeable individual advancements in sensitivity of normal force (roughly 83 times), shear force (roughly 10.5 times) with comparable shear angle accuracy to existing similar devices. Additionally, an optimized one with integrated characteristics was examined as a proof-of-concept. </span></span></p>