A magnetic tactile sensor with a bionic hair array is developed for sliding sensing and object recognition. Inspired by the bionic structure of human skin hairs, the sensor consists of a flexible magnetic cilia array on top and a serpentine flexible circuit board with a magnetic sensor array below. When the cilia bend under force, the magnetic sensor array detects changes in the magnetic field, allowing the magnitude and direction of the external force to be determined. The sensor has a resolution of 0.2 mN and a working range of 0–19.5 mN, enabling it to distinguish the direction of external force. It is suitable for sliding tactile detection and has been shown to achieve a success accuracy of 97% in object recognition. In addition to recognizing the shape and size of an object, the sensor can also identify whether there is magnetism inside the object, making it valuable for applications in intelligent robots and modern medicine. The sensor is fabricated using a demolding method, with PDMS and Ecoflex used as materials. Magnetic particles are mixed with Ecoflex to create the cilia array. The sensor's performance is evaluated through experiments, showing high stability and a dynamic response time of 73 and 81 ms. The sensor also exhibits minimal magnetic hysteresis, with a value of only 0.24%. The sensor is applied in a flexible gripper for robot grasping, where it can detect sliding and perform object recognition with high accuracy. The sensor's ability to detect magnetism inside objects is a significant advantage, as tactile sensors based on other principles do not have this capability. The sensor's large sensing area and high resolution make it suitable for various applications, including intelligent robots, advanced medical devices, ocean exploration, and earthquake search and rescue.A magnetic tactile sensor with a bionic hair array is developed for sliding sensing and object recognition. Inspired by the bionic structure of human skin hairs, the sensor consists of a flexible magnetic cilia array on top and a serpentine flexible circuit board with a magnetic sensor array below. When the cilia bend under force, the magnetic sensor array detects changes in the magnetic field, allowing the magnitude and direction of the external force to be determined. The sensor has a resolution of 0.2 mN and a working range of 0–19.5 mN, enabling it to distinguish the direction of external force. It is suitable for sliding tactile detection and has been shown to achieve a success accuracy of 97% in object recognition. In addition to recognizing the shape and size of an object, the sensor can also identify whether there is magnetism inside the object, making it valuable for applications in intelligent robots and modern medicine. The sensor is fabricated using a demolding method, with PDMS and Ecoflex used as materials. Magnetic particles are mixed with Ecoflex to create the cilia array. The sensor's performance is evaluated through experiments, showing high stability and a dynamic response time of 73 and 81 ms. The sensor also exhibits minimal magnetic hysteresis, with a value of only 0.24%. The sensor is applied in a flexible gripper for robot grasping, where it can detect sliding and perform object recognition with high accuracy. The sensor's ability to detect magnetism inside objects is a significant advantage, as tactile sensors based on other principles do not have this capability. The sensor's large sensing area and high resolution make it suitable for various applications, including intelligent robots, advanced medical devices, ocean exploration, and earthquake search and rescue.