SparkFun Electronics Forum

I was surprised to see a lack of strain/torque gauges like those sold on digikey (http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/e ... ND/2503700) on Sparkfun. Admittedly, I'm a mechanical engineer and only a hobby level electrical tinkerer, so I'm not immediately aware of the tech challenges with designing these.

but none the less, there are really awesome applications for these and I would imagine there's a large market for sensors in the sub-$100 range (if it can be done!)

I guess most of (if not all) of these require amplifiers, but if the sensors themselves could be made cheaply, I think it would be popular.

The individual strain gauges are probably beyond most of the experimenters -- and they are pretty pricey compared to simply buying a completed load cell with a full bridge (4 strain gauges). But if you want - you can find the bare strain gauges on amazon for $3 to $6 1/4 bridge instead of the $60+ from digikey.

Sparkfun does have a load cell / measuring shield called "Openscale" available -- and it works with the load cells that Sparkfun and the other "maker like suppliers" offer up.