A Large‐Area, Stretchable, Textile‐Based Tactile Sensor

Abstract

A tactile sensor is a necessary means for intelligent equipment to acquire external environment information and improve the performance of human–robot interaction. Although high‐performance tactile sensor array is widely studied, the large number of wires required to transmit data from numerous arrays is still a major obstacle in large‐area application. In this study, a large‐area, low‐cost, stretchable, textile‐based tactile sensor, which is sensitive for contact position, is proposed. The sensor has a simple three‐layer structure and four external wires due to the use of a novel double‐faced effect functional knitted textile with “self‐uniformity” characteristic. The porous polyurethane foam with a large pore size is first reported as touch switch material. It not only has excellent touch switch function, but also makes the sensor have a soft and elastic touch and good impact buffering. In addition, the application of radial basis function neural network makes the sensor have self‐learning “intelligence,” which makes the sensor flexibly and quickly arrange even on the surface of a complex 3D object. Finally, the potential applications of the sensor are demonstrated. This study shows that the sensor has great potential in the fields of wearable devices, robot interaction control, and human–computer interface.

Fusing Stretchable Sensing Technology with Machine Learning for Human–Machine Interfaces

“…On the other hand, large‐scale and high‐spatial resolution sensor arrays require a larger number of interconnections for data readout, prone to generate more electromagnetic noise and deteriorate the mechanical robustness. New sensing approaches and architectures for data acquisition, such as electrical impedance tomography, [ 110 ] wireless body area sensor network (bodyNET), [ 111,112 ] and hybrid architectures, [ 113 ] which could reduce the number of interconnections, are being intensively explored to overcome these issues.…”

Effect of Geometrical Parameters on Piezoresponse of Nanofibrous Wearable Piezoelectric Nanofabrics Under Low Impact Pressure

“…[ 1–5 ] Toward this end, smart textiles are one of the preferred choices for converting and storing energy in fibers and yarns employing appropriate materials properties. [ 6–9 ] In smart textiles, fibers and yarns are converted into products like garments or shoes, [ 10,11 ] using various processes such as electrospinning, [ 12 ] spinning, [ 13,14 ] weaving, [ 15–18 ] and knitting, [ 19,20 ] without affecting air permeability, flexibility, and comfort. Piezoelectric or triboelectric materials are the most preferred ones for energy conversion for IoT applications as the properties can be tuned appropriately through a varied choice of morphologies and material modifications.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] Toward this end, smart textiles are one of the preferred choices for converting and storing energy in fibers and yarns employing appropriate materials properties. [6][7][8][9] In smart textiles, fibers and yarns are converted into products like garments or shoes, [10,11] using various processes such as electrospinning, [12] spinning, [13,14] weaving, [15][16][17][18] and knitting, [19,20] without constant and the Young modulus; however, the piezoelectric inorganic analogues (such as BaTiO 3 , Pb(Zr x Ti 1−x )O 3 , etc.) are brittle and often toxic and are inapt to be used in contact with the human body.…”

Highly Stretchable and Flexible Melt Spun Thermoplastic Conductive Yarns for Smart Textiles

“…Smart textiles have drawn increased attention from the academic researchers and industry people due to their high sensitivity, high flexibility, breathability, multitasking capability, availability, low cost, deformability and comfort [1][2][3][4][5]. Textiles can be conductive applying various methods including spinning [6][7][8][9], knitting [10], coating [11][12][13][14][15], screen printing [16], inkjet printing [17,18] and 3D printing [19][20][21][22].…”