We fabricated the triaxial force sensor applicable to non-invasive human lingual motion measurement. The sensor contains two cantilevers for shear force sensing and one beam for pressure sensing. These cantilevers and the beam were buried in the silicone rubber. Their hinges are consisting of piezo-resistive layers in order to detect the force applied on the silicone rubber surface. Water swallowing experiment was carried out and we measured the pressure and shear forces acting on palate (roof of the mouth). From the experiment, we quantified the ease of consumption of the viscosity-increased water compared to the normal water.

References :
Yusuke Takei, Kentaro Noda, Kawai, T., Tachimura, T., Toyama, Y., Ohmori, T., Kiyoshi Matsumoto, and Isao Shimoyama, “Triaxial force sensor for lingual motion sensing,” The 25th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS '12), pp. 128 - 131 , Paris, France, Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 2012.[Proceedings]