Flexible, Stretchable and Wearable Multifunctional Sensor Array as Artificial Electronic Skin for Static and Dynamic Strain Mapping

Abstract

and triboelectric [25][26][27][28][29] sensing mechanisms. Poor stretchability/fl exibility of piezoresistive and piezoelectric devices has been a signifi cant obstacle to wearable electronic skins, since most of these devices are commonly assembled on stiff substrates. [ 1,8 ] Capacitive-change based pressure sensors featuring with high sensitivity, negligible temperature fl uctuations [ 2 ] and imposing stretchability, have drawn tremendous research interests and been implemented in several confi gurations, including microstructured rubber layers, [ 13,15,30 ] polymer transistors, [ 1,31 ] self-healing composites [ 32 ] and orderly array inorganic nanowires. [ 8,14,19,20 ] However, most of these previously reported devices suffer from complicated fabrication process, high costs and low yields, preventing them from mass productions and practical applications in the future. Besides, static pressure mapping has been achieved in these devices, while dynamic pressure detections are rarely explored. [ 33 ] Therefore, it is exigent to develop a novel fl exible pressure sensing system in cost-effective manners through simple fabrication process to detect static/dynamic pressure distributions with high sensitivity, fast response and pragmatic spatial resolution.In this work, we design and fabricate a fl exible/wearable multifunctional sensor array with low costs and simple fabrication processes for highly-sensitive contact/pressure/strain detections. The PDMS/Ag/Ecofl ex/Ag/PDMS sandwichstructured sensor array possesses impressive stretchability by taking advantage of serpentine-shaped [ 34,35 ] Ag electrodes, which show insignifi cant resistance changes under stretching, compressing and torsions. Fast response (ca. 100 ms) mapping of both static and dynamic contact/pressure/strain distributions are demonstrated, with detection limit of 6 Pa and stretching up to 70%. By monitoring the capacitance changes of the sensor array, a linear response to external pressures is derived based on capacitive sensing working mechanism. Featuring with low-cost, easy-fabrication, linear-response and high reliability, these sensor arrays may become promising candidate for highly-sensitive force detections, gesture controls, imaging of spatial pressure distributions, and fi nd potential applications in advanced robotics, human-machine interfaces, next-generation prosthetics and healthcare monitoring devices.Artifi cial electronic skin consists of mechanically fl exible and stretchable sensor networks that can accommodate irregular surfaces and spatially map/quantify various stimuli, such as strains, pressures, and temperatures to imitate the human somatosensory system. Here, a fl exible/wearable multifunctional sensor array is designed and fabricated in a cost-effective manner through simple fabrication procedures for highly-sensitive contact/ pressure/strain detections. Composed of PET-based Ag serpentine-shaped electrodes, the sensor array is implemented for static and dynamic mapping of spatial contact/pressure/strain distributions in ...

Bio-based graphene/sodium alginate aerogels for strain sensors

“…Fig. Recently, human motion detection sensors using advanced materials have been attracted broad attentions 45 , the strain sensor fabricated in this work shows wide developing prospects for applications due to its high sensitivity, excellent mechanical properties, coupling with its low-cost and environmentally friendly. The resistance change was real-time monitored, Fig.…”

Design and Anchorage Dependence of Shape Memory Alloy Actuators on Enhanced Voiding of a Bladder

“…[43] However, the catheter should be inserted through urethra, or via a surgery through an incision in the bladder wall that is cumbersome and invasive. For this reason, using of flexible sensors, [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] that could be fixed on the surface of bladder or inside the vest, may provide the information on the bladder filling status without the need of making an incision in the bladder wall. [44,45] In our study, we used a commercial FlexiForce force sensor (South Boston, MA) to accurately quantify the effect of bladder filling on the resistance change of the sensor.…”

“…When the bladder reaches its maximum volume, the force sensor will inform the patient to actuate the device. Several sensors, such as flexible strain, pressure, or tactile sensors, [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] can be integrated with the actuating device to sense the status of bladder fullness; however, to quantify the bladder fullness accurately, in our study we use a commercial force sensor to provide the feedback control signal to the patient.…”

PDMS/MWCNT-based tactile sensor array with coplanar electrodes for crosstalk suppression

“…Currently, tactile sensors with high sensitivity and flexibility exhibit good prospects in various applications such as artificial limbs, robot skin, touch screens, and wearable electronics. Normally, the operating mechanisms for tactile sensors can be divided into five categories: piezoelectric 1,2 , triboelectric 2 , optical 3,4 , capacitive [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] , and piezoresistive [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] . Because of the inherent stiffness of conventional piezoresistive materials, many piezoresistive tactile sensors are fabricated with the combination of flexible polymer materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyimide.…”