Knitted interdigital capacitive strain sensor for wearable applications

Abstract

Wearable electronics is a rapidly growing field that has recently begun to enter the consumer electronics industry with viable commercial devices. To fulfil the increased demand for wearable devices robust, compact, reliable, and cost-effective solutions are required. As a result, it is critical to do extensive research into suitable materials and manufacturing processes. This article describes the creation of a strain sensing textile-based interdigital capacitive sensor that is highly configurable, consumes minimal material, produces no waste, and is reproducible and rapid in mass production utilizing computerized weft knitting technology. In this study, it was shown that the knitted interdigital capacitive sensor structure could match the high working range necessary for wearable electrical and soft robotic applications, thanks to its capacity to stretch up to 100%. This work is expected to advance existing technology in wearable electronics and soft robotics in terms of human body motion sensing.