journal article·2026-02Open access

Intelligent Tactile Perception Revolution: Innovations in Flexible FET‐Based Tactile Sensors for Next‐Gen Human–Machine Interfaces

Qiyi Nie, Fei Wang, Feng‐Shou Yang, Hanzhi Xun, Jiachen Hou, Qingyang Xu, Ying Hong, Jingyu Zhang, Xueyong Wei, Yen‐Fu Lin, Po‐Wen Chiu, Longhui Zeng, Mengjiao Li, Biao Wang, Jianhua Zhang

Advanced Materials· Volume 38· Issue 10

Abstract

ABSTRACT Field‐effect transistors (FETs) with controllable field‐dependent carrier transport characteristics and unique signal amplification have provided an excellent platform for developing high‐performance artificial sensors and intelligent‐sensing interaction technologies. As the critical component of humanoid robotics, FET‐based tactile sensors with diverse working mechanisms have been studied intensively and have demonstrated remarkable potential in intelligent human–machine interactions. Given that effective carrier‐modulation capabilities of FETs significantly determine critical metrics of tactile sensing systems, this review systematically explores how diverse device, material, and processing innovations create different sensing characteristics, including tactile sensitivity, stretchability, and resolution, that thus underlie diverse strategies to engineer sensing behaviors toward specific applications of FET tactile sensors. We also examine the various strategies, including material–structure co‐design, stretchability engineering, and high‐resolution fabrication technologies, to engineer sensing behaviors in FET tactile sensors toward specific applications spanning wearable electronic skins, tactile‐perceptive neuromorphic systems, and intelligent displays. Finally, we discuss the challenges regarding signal stability under dynamic deformation, response linearity, and saturation in high‐pressure regimes, and scalable high‐resolution integration, and outline promising solutions through the co‐optimization of intrinsically stretchable materials, innovative device architectures, and advanced multi‐scale fabrication processes.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Advanced Materials and Mechanics · Nanowire Synthesis and Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation Shanghai University Shanghai China

Institute of Artificial Intelligence School of Future Technology Shanghai University Shanghai China

School of Microelectronics Shanghai University Shanghai China

Department of Electrical Engineering & Institute of Electronic Engineering National Tsing Hua University Hsinchu Taiwan

Institute of Electrical and Micro Engineering École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland

School of Mechanical Engineering Hebei University of Technology Tianjin China

School of Instrument Science and Technology State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an China

Department of Physics National Chung Hsing University Taichung Taiwan

School of Physics Key Laboratory of Material Physics of Ministry of Education Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou Henan China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

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