New sensor for smart textiles survives even in washing machine

“Modern soft strain gauges are sensitive but very fragile,” Oluwaseun Araromi explains the problem.

first author of the article. “The problem is that highly sensitive sensors are usually very fragile, and rugged sensors are not very sensitive.”

In the end, the researchers came up with a suitable design.

Unlike modern highly sensitivesensors that are based on exotic materials such as silicon or gold nanowires, the new sensor does not require special manufacturing techniques or even a clean room. It can be made from any conductive material.

This ultra-sensitive elastic strain sensor can be embedded in textiles and soft robotic systems. Credit: Oluwaseun Araromi / Harvard SEAS.

The researchers tested the stability of the sensor by cutting it with a scalpel, hitting it with a hammer, running over it with a car, and throwing it into the washing machine ten times. The sensor emerged from each test unharmed.

To demonstrate his sensitivity,the researchers embedded the sensor into a tissue sleeve on the arm and asked the participant to make various hand gestures. The sensors detected changes in the subject's forearm muscles through tissue, and the algorithm's machine learning successfully classified all movements.

Moritz Graule, a SEAS graduate student, demonstrates a fabric sleeve with integrated sensors. Credit: Oluwaseun Araromi / Harvard SEAS.

The sleeve that was used to test the newsensor can be used in everything from virtual reality modeling and sportswear to the clinical diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

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