Textile-Based Flexible Tactile Force Sensor Sheet

The next generation of electronics will include human-interactive flexible sensor sheets to monitor health. One approach is to realize practical macroscale low-cost sensor arrays to monitor pressure distribution and health conditions without directly attaching a device onto the body. However, practical requirements such as reliability, scalability, and washability are not often discussed as most studies focus on the sensing sensitivity and validations. This study demonstrates an all textile-based tactile force sensor sheet that covers the above requirements. By considering the device design and materials, high reliability/repeatability (approximate to 250 000 cycles at approximate to 5 kPa) and washability are realized. These are important factors for practical applications for human-interactive macroscale sensor sheets. In addition to the fundamental characteristics, pressure distribution mapping and respiration rate monitoring are confirmed by placing the sensor sheets on a bed, chair, and floor.