Hybrid Silicone-Fabric Sensor for Wearable Robots

摘要

Wearable technologies are explod-ing in popularity in both the consumer and research spaces, but most of the electronic sensors that detect and transmit data from wearables are made of hard, inflexible materials that can restrict both the wearer's natural movements and the accuracy of the data collected.A sensitive, soft capacitive sensor made of silicone and fabric was developed that moves and flexes with the human body to unobtrusively and accurately detect movement. The sensor could be integrated with fabric to make "smart" robotic apparel. A batch-manufacturing process also was developed to create custom sensors, enabling fabrication for a given application.