A Bioinspired Self-Balancing Magnetic Tactile Sensor for Intelligent Underwater Manipulation in the Deep Sea

A Bioinspired Self-Balancing Magnetic Tactile Sensor for Intelligent Underwater Manipulation in the Deep Sea | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A Bioinspired Self-Balancing Magnetic Tactile Sensor for Intelligent Underwater Manipulation in the Deep Sea Daohui Zhang, Naijia Xu, Qingyang Zheng, Xin Fu, Liyan Mo, Yuqi Qiao, and 22 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297088/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Underwater robots require sophisticated tactile sensing systems to execute high-precision operations in deep-sea environments. However, extreme hydrostatic pressure in deep-sea environments can cause sensor signal baseline drift and structural fatigue, or even device failure. Meanwhile, operational targets range from fragile organisms to rigid cultural relics, demanding that sensors possess both high sensitivity and a wide dynamic range to meet diverse tactile perception needs. To address these challenges, we present a bioinspired magnetic tactile sensor with pressure self-balancing capability, drawing inspiration from the hydrostatic skeletal mechanisms of marine organisms and the multi-level tactile sensing properties of human skin. The sensor incorporates a butterfly-shaped porous structure that enables internal and external pressure self-balancing under hydrostatic pressure, effectively suppressing signal drift to less than 1% even at 120 MPa. Through the synergistic design of biomimetic cilia and the porous structure, the device achieves a wide force sensing range from 0.0063 N to 718 N and a high sensitivity of 43.72 µT/N. During sea trials, a soft robot system integrated with the sensor demonstrated excellent performance in multiple dive missions, operating at depths of up to 2,284.7 meters. Across different depth environments, the adaptive system successfully accomplished force-closed-loop precision grasping of various deep-sea organisms, contour recognition, and cooperative sampling operations based on tactile interaction, fully validating its practical utility under real deep-sea conditions. This study provides a reliable tactile sensing solution for intelligent underwater robots, showcasing broad application potential in deep-sea resource exploration and ecological environment research. Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for devices/Electronic devices Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for devices/Actuators Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for devices/Sensors and biosensors Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering Physical sciences/Engineering/Mechanical engineering deep-sea tactile sensing self-balancing mechanism bioinspired sensor contact force detection underwater manipulation Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupportingInformation.pdf Supplementary Information SupplementaryMovieS3.mp4 Non-destructive grasping of diverse underwater targets using tactile feedback closed-loop control SupplementaryMovieS4.mp4 Stiffness discrimination and signal stability under 60 MPa hydrostatic pressure SupplementaryMovieS5.mp4 Dynamic tactile mapping and contour reconstruction of an underwater target SupplementaryMovieS1.mp4 Demonstration of the sensor’s wide dynamic range and high resolution from millinewton-scale to large-scale loads SupplementaryMovieS2.mp4 Impact resistance test and rapid signal recovery under high-energy collision Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Review # 1 received at journal 01 May, 2026 Reviewer # 1 agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 02 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 01 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9297088","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":626235353,"identity":"433a3cd9-1d74-4f78-8313-c95d1094ad23","order_by":0,"name":"Daohui 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tactile sensing, self-balancing mechanism, bioinspired sensor, contact force detection, underwater manipulation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297088/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9297088/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Underwater robots require sophisticated tactile sensing systems to execute high-precision operations in deep-sea environments. However, extreme hydrostatic pressure in deep-sea environments can cause sensor signal baseline drift and structural fatigue, or even device failure. Meanwhile, operational targets range from fragile organisms to rigid cultural relics, demanding that sensors possess both high sensitivity and a wide dynamic range to meet diverse tactile perception needs. To address these challenges, we present a bioinspired magnetic tactile sensor with pressure self-balancing capability, drawing inspiration from the hydrostatic skeletal mechanisms of marine organisms and the multi-level tactile sensing properties of human skin. The sensor incorporates a butterfly-shaped porous structure that enables internal and external pressure self-balancing under hydrostatic pressure, effectively suppressing signal drift to less than 1% even at 120 MPa. 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