Flexible textile printed piezoresistive pressure sensors

Abstract

The combination of sensor technology and textiles substantially extends the range of textile applications. Smart textiles, especially clothing, might increasingly be equipped with pressure sensors. They could be used in the sports or health sector to measure body activities or other activities which are close to the body. Therefore, it is essential to develop flexible sensors which allow to adapt to the properties of textile materials which are in contact with the body or surrounding it. In this paper a pressure sensor based on piezoresistive ink and conductive fabric with high flexibility is reported. Preliminary pressure sensors have been fabricated and tested on a universal testing machine. The sensors show to be functional, but also showing some aspects to improve, such as its hysteretic behaviour.