Flexible electronics is an imminent revolution in industry, where devices can be developed using sustainable materials and processes. Some of the criteria for sustainability are low cost, low energy consumption, recyclability, and biodegradability. Besides, this technology is bringing into existence electronic gadgets that are light weight, flexible, and conform to the human body. In this paper, we describe a prototype tactile array sensor (TAS) that can enhance the existing prosthetic gadgets. As an example, the sensor can be used to detect an approaching object or surface for a prosthetic foot. Finite element method simulations have been done to show the feasibility of the proposed approach. Flexibility is of importance for prosthetics used by children of growing age for better adaptability, reduced frequency of changes, and creativity in product design [Torres-Jara, Dexterous and Compliant Robotic US 8,662,552 B2,2014]. Once developed, this application for sustainable prosthesis is expected to complement the pioneering work done at the MIT Tata Center toward the development of affordable mobile-enabled diabetic foot analyzer that has enabled regular monitoring of detection of loss of sensation in the feet of diabetic patients avoiding foot ulcers and leg amputation.

柔性电子产品是一场迫在眉睫的工业革命，可以使用可持续材料和工艺开发设备。可持续性的一些标准是低成本、低能耗、可回收性和生物降解性。此外，这项技术正在使重量轻、灵活且符合人体的电子设备问世。在本文中，我们描述了一种原型触觉阵列传感器 (TAS)，它可以增强现有的假肢小工具。例如，传感器可用于检测接近的物体或假足表面。已经进行了有限元方法模拟以证明所提出方法的可行性。灵活性对于成长中儿童使用的假肢来说很重要，因为它具有更好的适应性、减少更换频率、和产品设计中的创造力 [Torres-Jara, Dexterous and Compliant Robotic US 8,662,552 B2,2014]。一旦开发出来，这种可持续假肢的应用程序有望补充麻省理工学院塔塔中心所做的开创性工作，即开发负担得起的移动糖尿病足分析仪，该分析仪能够定期监测糖尿病患者足部感觉丧失的检测，避免足部溃疡和腿部截肢。