Nanofibrous PAN-PDMS Films Based High-Performance Triboelectric Artificial Whisker for Self-Powered Obstacle Detection.

Avoiding collisions is a key necessity for any autonomous mobile robot, and obstacle mapping enables the robot to manoeuvre in an uncharted area. In this era of the Internet of Things (IoT), with the emerging need for a multitude of sensors, adopting self-powered technologies is more practically viable than batteries for powering the same. Here, with the fabrication of a triboelectric artificial whisker (TAW), we demonstrate a self-powered obstacle detection via tactile perception. The mechanical contact with the obstacle gives rise to an electrical signal from the TAW owing to the triboelectric sensor in it. In addition, the triboelectric nanogenerator based on electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film, which facilitates this self-powered artificial sensation, generates an output voltage of 720 V and current density of 5 mA/m 2 with 1.7 W/m 2 of maximum power delivery from a force of 10 N. The electro-spinning aided enhancement in contact area of the PAN is responsible for the remarkable improvement in the performance of the TENG, 3.4 times enhancement in power density, when compared to the non-surface-modified ones. In addition, the TENG was able to charge commercial capacitors up to appreciable values and demonstrated powering different electronic gadgets such as calculators and digital thermometers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.