A
tactile sensor is a device that measures information arising from physical interaction with its environment. Tactile sensors are generally modeled after the biological sense of
cutaneous touch which is capable of detecting stimuli resulting from mechanical stimulation, temperature, and pain (although pain sensing is not common in artificial tactile sensors). Tactile
sensors are used in
robotics,
computer hardware and
security systems. A common application of tactile sensors is in
touchscreen devices on
mobile phones and
computing.