scholarly journals Multi-Functional Soft Strain Sensors for Wearable Physiological Monitoring

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 3822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josie Hughes ◽  
Fumiya Iida

Wearable devices which monitor physiological measurements are of significant research interest for a wide number of applications including medicine, entertainment, and wellness monitoring. However, many wearable sensing systems are highly rigid and thus restrict the movement of the wearer, and are not modular or customizable for a specific application. Typically, one sensor is designed to model one physiological indicator which is not a scalable approach. This work aims to address these limitations, by developing soft sensors and including conductive particles into a silicone matrix which allows sheets of soft strain sensors to be developed rapidly using a rapid manufacturing process. By varying the morphology of the sensor sheets and electrode placement the response can be varied. To demonstrate the versatility and range of sensitivity of this base sensing material, two wearable sensors have been developed which show the detection of different physiological parameters. These include a pressure-sensitive insole sensor which can detect ground reaction forces and a strain sensor which can be worn over clothes to allow the measurements of heart rate, breathing rate, and gait.

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengqiang Fan ◽  
Genevieve H. Dennison ◽  
Nicholas FitzGerald ◽  
Paul L. Burn ◽  
Ian R. Gentle ◽  
...  

AbstractA common feature of fluorescent sensing materials for detecting chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and simulants is the presence of nitrogen-based groups designed to nucleophilically displace a phosphorus atom substituent, with the reaction causing a measurable fluorescence change. However, such groups are also basic and so sensitive to acid. In this study we show it is critical to disentangle the response of a candidate sensing material to acid and CWA simulant. We report that pyridyl-containing sensing materials designed to react with a CWA gave a strong and rapid increase in fluorescence when exposed to Sarin, which is known to contain hydrofluoric acid. However, when tested against acid-free diethylchlorophosphate and di-iso-propylfluorophosphate, simulants typically used for evaluating novel G-series CWA sensors, there was no change in the fluorescence. In contrast, simulants that had been stored or tested under a standard laboratory conditions all led to strong changes in fluorescence, due to acid impurities. Thus the results provide strong evidence that care needs to be taken when interpreting the results of fluorescence-based solid-state sensing studies of G-series CWAs and their simulants. There are also implications for the application of these pyridyl-based fluorescence and other nucleophilic/basic sensing systems to real-world CWA detection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1235
Author(s):  
Su Min Yun ◽  
Moohyun Kim ◽  
Yong Won Kwon ◽  
Hyobeom Kim ◽  
Mi Jung Kim ◽  
...  

The development of wearable sensors is aimed at enabling continuous real-time health monitoring, which leads to timely and precise diagnosis anytime and anywhere. Unlike conventional wearable sensors that are somewhat bulky, rigid, and planar, research for next-generation wearable sensors has been focused on establishing fully-wearable systems. To attain such excellent wearability while providing accurate and reliable measurements, fabrication strategies should include (1) proper choices of materials and structural designs, (2) constructing efficient wireless power and data transmission systems, and (3) developing highly-integrated sensing systems. Herein, we discuss recent advances in wearable devices for non-invasive sensing, with focuses on materials design, nano/microfabrication, sensors, wireless technologies, and the integration of those.


Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bessone ◽  
Petrat ◽  
Schwirtz

In the past, technological issues limited research focused on ski jump landing. Today, thanks to the development of wearable sensors, it is possible to analyze the biomechanics of athletes without interfering with their movements. The aims of this study were twofold. Firstly, the quantification of the kinetic magnitude during landing is performed using wireless force insoles while 22 athletes jumped during summer training on the hill. In the second part, the insoles were combined with inertial motion units (IMUs) to determine the possible correlation between kinematics and kinetics during landing. The maximal normal ground reaction force (GRFmax) ranged between 1.1 and 5.3 body weight per foot independently when landing using the telemark or parallel leg technique. The GRFmax and impulse were correlated with flying time (p < 0.001). The hip flexions/extensions and the knee and hip rotations of the telemark front leg correlated with GRFmax (r = 0.689, p = 0.040; r = −0.670, p = 0.048; r = 0.820, p = 0.007; respectively). The force insoles and their combination with IMUs resulted in promising setups to analyze landing biomechanics and to provide in-field feedback to the athletes, being quick to place and light, without limiting movement.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simonas Ramanavičius ◽  
Milda Petrulevičienė ◽  
Jurga Juodkazytė ◽  
Asta Grigucevičienė ◽  
Arūnas Ramanavičius

In this research, the investigation of sensing properties of non-stoichiometric WO3 (WO3−x) film towards some volatile organic compounds (VOC) (namely: Methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone) and ammonia gas are reported. Sensors were tested at several temperatures within the interval ranging from a relatively low temperature of 60 up to 270 °C. Significant variation of selectivity, which depended on the operational temperature of sensor, was observed. Here, the reported WO3/WO3–x-based sensing material opens an avenue for the design of sensors with temperature-dependent sensitivity, which can be applied in the design of new gas- and/or VOC-sensing systems that are dedicated for the determination of particular gas- and/or VOC-based analyte concentration in the mixture of different gases and/or VOCs, using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).


2018 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 01019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia K. Karaxi ◽  
Irene A. Kanellopoulou ◽  
Anna Karatza ◽  
Ioannis A. Kartsonakis ◽  
Costas A. Charitidis

Carbon-based nanomaterials are promising reinforcing elements for the development of “smart” self-sensing cementitious composites due to their exceptional mechanical and electrical properties. Significant research efforts have been committed on the synthesis of cement-based composite materials reinforced with carbonaceous nanostructures, covering every aspect of the production process (type of nanomaterial, mixing process, electrode type, measurement methods etc.). In this study, the aim is to develop a well-defined repeatable procedure for the fabrication as well as the evaluation of pressure-sensitive properties of intrinsically self-sensing cementitious composites incorporating carbon- based nanomaterials. Highly functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes with increased dispersibility in polar media were used in the development of advanced reinforced mortar specimens which increased their mechanical properties and provided repeatable pressure-sensitive properties.


Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Luczak ◽  
Reuben F. Burch V ◽  
Brian K. Smith ◽  
Daniel W. Carruth ◽  
John Lamberth ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of compressible soft robotic sensors (C-SRS) in determining plantar pressure to infer vertical and shear forces in wearable technology: A ground reaction pressure sock (GRPS). To assess pressure relationships between C-SRS, pressure cells on a BodiTrakTM Vector Plate, and KistlerTM Force Plates, thirteen volunteers performed three repetitions of three different movements: squats, shifting center-of-pressure right to left foot, and shifting toes to heels with C-SRS in both anterior–posterior (A/P) and medial–lateral (M/L) sensor orientations. Pearson correlation coefficient of C-SRS to BodiTrakTM Vector Plate resulted in an average R-value greater than 0.70 in 618/780 (79%) of sensor to cell comparisons. An average R-value greater than 0.90 was seen in C-SRS comparison to KistlerTM Force Plates during shifting right to left. An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) was conducted to identify and estimate future C-SRS data. No significant differences were seen in sensor orientation. Sensors in the A/P orientation reported a mean R2 value of 0.952 and 0.945 in the M/L sensor orientation, reducing the effectiveness to infer shear forces. Given the high R values, the use of C-SRSs to infer normal pressures appears to make the development of the GRPS feasible.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Erik Vanegas ◽  
Raúl Igual ◽  
Inmaculada Plaza

Sensors for respiratory monitoring can be classified into wearable and non-wearable systems. Wearable sensors can be worn in several positions, the chest being one of the most effective. In this paper, we have studied the performance of a new piezoresistive breathing sensing system to be worn on the chest with a belt. One of the main problems of belt-attached sensing systems is that they present trends in measurements due to subject movements or differences in subject constitution. These trends affect sensor performance. To mitigate them, it is possible to post-process the data to remove trends in measurements, but relevant data from the respiration signal may be lost. In this study, two different detrending methods are applied to respiration signals. After conducting an experimental study with 21 subjects who breathed in different positions with a chest piezoresistive sensor attached to a belt, detrending method 2 proved to be better at improving the quality of respiration signals.


Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Ren ◽  
Xuyang Sun ◽  
Jing Liu

Sensors are core elements to directly obtain information from surrounding objects for further detecting, judging and controlling purposes. With the rapid development of soft electronics, flexible sensors have made considerable progress, and can better fit the objects to detect and, thus respond to changes more sensitively. Recently, as a newly emerging electronic ink, liquid metal is being increasingly investigated to realize various electronic elements, especially soft ones. Compared to conventional soft sensors, the introduction of liquid metal shows rather unique advantages. Due to excellent flexibility and conductivity, liquid-metal soft sensors present high enhancement in sensitivity and precision, thus producing many profound applications. So far, a series of flexible and wearable sensors based on liquid metal have been designed and tested. Their applications have also witnessed a growing exploration in biomedical areas, including health-monitoring, electronic skin, wearable devices and intelligent robots etc. This article presents a systematic review of the typical progress of liquid metal-enabled soft sensors, including material innovations, fabrication strategies, fundamental principles, representative application examples, and so on. The perspectives of liquid-metal soft sensors is finally interpreted to conclude the future challenges and opportunities.


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