Soft Sensors via Conductive Textile Stitching: Enabling Strain, Tactile, and Volumetric Sensing

Abstract

In fields such as wearable technology and soft robotics, sensors that detect bending and pressure using flexible materials are becoming essential. This study aims to develop textile sensors using stitching methods with conductive yarn. Four types of sensors introduced: tensile and tactile sensors with rubber bands, flex sensors with films, and volumetric sensors with balloons. High sewing density and multi-layer design improve performance. Experiments reveale a gauge factor (GF) of 1.52 for the multi-layered tensile sensor under 11% strain, indicating a 20% improvement over single-layer sensors. Flex sensors effectively detect resistance changes due to curvature, varying with bending velocity. Volumetric sensors demonstrate their adaptability in many shapes and materials with response times under 1 s. There is significant potential for these flexible and adaptable soft sensors in the healthcare and medical industries, especially due to their easy integration with wearable devices.