Patent ID: 7066376

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a tactile sensor including an electrically conductive elastomer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a base having a plurality of electrodes thereon, each of said plurality of electrodes having at least one spike extending out from said base at a defined angle θ, wherein said at least one spike of one of said plurality of electrodes protrudes from said base in an outward direction away from a direction of said at least one spike of said other of said plurality of electrodes; stretching said electrically conductive elastomer outward a certain distance; placing said electrically conductive elastomer onto said base such that said electrically conductive elastomer becomes gripped by said spikes of said plurality of electrodes when said electrically conductive elastomer is no longer stretched; locally heating said electrically conductive elastomer to slightly higher than a melting point of said electrically conductive elastomer to melt locally said electrically conductive elastomer around said spikes of said plurality of electrodes.