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New stretchy fabric-based sensors developed for wearables
A new type of silicone-fabric sensor has been developed that offers a high degree of flexibility, allowing it to be used in new wearable technology.
Created by the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, the highly sensitive soft capacitive sensor is made of silicone and fabric that moves and flexes with the human body.
This allows the sensing material to unobtrusively and accurately detect movement by measuring the change in capacitance of its electrical field, showing an ability to detect increases in capacitance within 30 milliseconds of strain application and physical changes of less than half a millimetre.
An early trial integrated the material into a glove to measure fine-motor hand and finger movements in real time, with the sensors shown to be successfully able to detect capacitance changes on individual fingers as they moved.
It is hoped that this material could be used to create athletic clothing that tracks physical performance, or soft clinical devices to monitor patients at home.
Dr Conor Walsh, a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute, said: "We're really excited about this sensor because, by leveraging textiles in its construction, it is inherently suitable for integration with fabric to make 'smart' robotic apparel."
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