An interface pressure sensor includes a fluid pressure sensor disposed in a volume defined by a shear wall. The volume is enclosed, and the fluid pressure sensor is encapsulated by, an infill material. The infill material defines a sensing surface that, when pressed, can impart a force that is detectable by the fluid pressure sensor.

A pressure sensitive element (110) is located on an upper surface side of a substrate (100), and includes a pressure sensitive layer (114). When the pressure sensitive layer (114) is deformed, an electrical characteristic of the pressure sensitive layer (114) changes. For example, resistance of the pressure sensitive layer (114) changes by deformation. A deformation layer (120) faces the substrate (100) with a plurality of the pressure sensitive layers (114) in between, is deformable in a thickness direction, and includes a plurality of protrusions and recesses. An average value Pi of center-to-center distances of a plurality of protrusions of the deformation layer (120) is equal to or more than one time of a center-to-center distance Po of the pressure sensitive layers (114).

A pressure sensitive element (110) is located on an upper surface side of a substrate (100), and includes a pressure sensitive layer (114). When the pressure sensitive layer (114) is deformed, an electrical characteristic of the pressure sensitive layer (114) changes. For example, resistance of the pressure sensitive layer (114) changes by deformation. A deformation layer (120) faces the substrate (100) with a plurality of the pressure sensitive layers (114) in between, is deformable in a thickness direction, and includes a plurality of protrusions and recesses. An average value Pi of center-to-center distances of a plurality of protrusions of the deformation layer (120) is equal to or more than one time of a center-to-center distance Po of the pressure sensitive layers (114).

A fabric-based pressure sensor array includes: (1) a first layer including M elongated conductive strips coated thereon; (2) a second layer including N elongated conductive strips coated thereon, the M elongated conductive strips extending crosswise relative to the N elongated conductive strips to define M×N intersections; and (3) a unitary textile sheet extending between the first layer and the second layer so as to overlap the M×N intersections, the textile sheet having a variable resistivity in response to applied pressure so as to define M×N pressure sensors at locations corresponding to the M×N intersections.

There is a viscoelastic strain sensor that includes a sensing layer including a viscoelastic material, the viscoelastic material including a viscoelastic hydrogel and a conductive nanofiller. The viscoelastic material has a fractional resistance change that increases with an increase of an applied tensile strain, and the viscoelastic material has a fractional resistance change that decreases with an applied compressional strain.

A method for detection of a bottom of a well of a multiwell plate for a pipetting device is disclosed. The pipetting device includes a pipetting head configured for being coupled to a plurality of pipetting tips. A force sensor configured for measuring a resistance force depending on a force on a pipetting tip exerted by the bottom is used. The method includes measuring the resistance force during movement of one of the pipetting tips from a start position downstream towards the bottom of the well and stopping the movement at a bottom position. The method further includes storing the bottom position together with a corresponding logical position of the well in the multiwell plate in a database. Further disclosed is a pipetting device, a laboratory instrument for processing and/or analyzing a sample and a computer program and a computer-readable storage medium for performing the method.

A method for detection of a bottom of a well of a multiwell plate for a pipetting device is disclosed. The pipetting device includes a pipetting head configured for being coupled to a plurality of pipetting tips. A force sensor configured for measuring a resistance force depending on a force on a pipetting tip exerted by the bottom is used. The method includes measuring the resistance force during movement of one of the pipetting tips from a start position downstream towards the bottom of the well and stopping the movement at a bottom position. The method further includes storing the bottom position together with a corresponding logical position of the well in the multiwell plate in a database. Further disclosed is a pipetting device, a laboratory instrument for processing and/or analyzing a sample and a computer program and a computer-readable storage medium for performing the method.

A removable electronics device and related pre-fabricated sensor assemblies having different sensor layouts are provided. The removable electronics module includes one or more processors, an inertial measurement unit, a first communication interface configured to communicatively couple the removable electronics device to one or more computing devices, a second communication interface configured to communicatively couple the removable electronics device to a plurality of pre-fabricated sensor assemblies, and a housing at least partially enclosing the processor, the inertial measurement unit, the first communication interface, and the second communication interface. The housing includes a first opening in at least one longitudinal surface and adjacent to at least a portion of the first communication interface and a plurality of second openings in a lower surface and adjacent to the plurality of contact pads of the second communication interface.

A device includes an at least partially transparent screen and, between the screen and an optical sensor, a layer having at least one optically clear portion with a refraction index smaller by at least 0.1 than the refraction index of an optical material of the optical sensor.

A device includes an at least partially transparent screen and, between the screen and an optical sensor, a layer having at least one optically clear portion with a refraction index smaller by at least 0.1 than the refraction index of an optical material of the optical sensor.