Design and fabrication of an optical pressure micro sensor for skin mechanics studies

The mechanics of skin is as central to touch as optics is to vision and acoustics is to hearing. With the advent of novel imaging technologies such as the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), we are now able to view structures within the skin to a resolution of a few microns in vivo and non-invasively. To fully understand the role of biomechanics of the skin in interpreting touch, we need to develop a quantitative understanding of how spatio temporal loads imposed on the surface of the skin are transmitted to mechanoreceptor locations within the skin. The following thesis presents a description of the design and fabrication of an Optical Pressure Sensor Device to be used in conjunction with an Optical Coherence Tomography Apparatus to quantify loads incident on the fingerpad surface. The Optical Pressure Sensor is a five layer PDMS based device having a total thickness of 150 microns. It consists of two layers of a textured pattern separated by a layer of "Soft" PDMS of thickness 100 microns. The top and bottom protective layers are of PDMS and have a thickness of 20 microns each. "Soft" PDMS is a combination of PDMS and the silicone oil "Fluid 200" and has a Young's Modulus less than that of Human Skin.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Kumar, Siddarth

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Mandayam A. Srinivasan.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38268

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/38268