What is Kinotex?
Tactex uses a patented technology called Kinotex® to create touch or force sensitive surfaces. Kinotex® is based on a simple, physical phenomenon related to the way light scatters within cellular foam.
How it works…
A single Kinotex® sensing element consists of two plastic optical fibers – one transmit fiber and one receive fiber. These elements are called taxels and are embedded in cellular foam. An LED light source is used to shine light along the transmit fibre into the foam sensing surface. When pressure is applied to the foam, the intensity of the backscattered light increases. The receive fibre monitors the light modulation and sends a signal back to a photo-diode for processing. Taxels can be used as single point sensors or can be arranged in an array according to the density and configuration required by an individual application.
Kinotex RST™ - The next generation of Kinotex® technology
Kinotex RST™ is the latest technical innovation from Tactex. Traditional Kinotex® sensors use optical fibres to send light signals into a foam sensing surface. Kinotex RST™ replaces the optical fibres with embedded opto-electronic devices. The result is a sensing solution that can accomodate a greater density of individual sensing points.
Technical Specifications
Because Kinotex® is a highly adaptable technology, Tactex specializes in developing tactile force and pressure sensors systems according to client specifications. The smallest Kinotex® tactile force sensor developed to date has a sensing area of 5mm in diameter. The largest array sensor currently in use is a gait analysis walkway of 3' x 15'. Specifications such as taxel density, sensitivity, response time and spatial resolution will vary depending on the application. Kinotex® is capable of a maximum sampling rate of 20kHz.
Low Cost • Electrically Inert • Wide Dynamic Range • Lightweight • Durable • Adaptable
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