A Soft Wearable and Fully-Textile Piezoresistive Sensor for Plantar Pressure Capturing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Growing demand for wearable health monitoring systems necessitates advanced gait-capturing devices.
• Existing sensor-enabled footwear faces challenges in comfortability and durability under repeated stress.
• Piezoresistive sensors are crucial for accurately measuring pressure in wearable applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flexible textile piezoresistive sensor (TPRS) for improved comfort and durability in wearable gait-capturing devices.
• To evaluate the sensing performance and stability of the proposed TPRS.
• To demonstrate the practical application of the TPRS for dynamic plantar pressure monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a TPRS using reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-cotton fabric and Ag fabric electrodes.
• Characterization of the mechanical and electrical properties of the TPRS.
• Integration of six TPRSs into an insole for dynamic plantar pressure measurement during walking.

Main Results:

• The TPRS demonstrated high sensitivity (3.96 kPa-1 in 0-36 kPa range) and a wide force detection range (0-100 kPa).
• Achieved a fast response time of 170 ms and remarkable durability stability over 1000 cycles.
• Successfully captured dynamic plantar pressure distribution during walking, generating pressure maps.

Conclusions:

• The developed fully-textile piezoresistive sensor offers superior performance and durability compared to existing solutions.
• The TPRS is a promising candidate for next-generation plantar pressure wearable monitoring devices.
• This innovation addresses key challenges in wearable health monitoring for gait analysis.