Super-stretchy sensors could create 'next level' biomedical devices

A new super-stretchy yet highly sensitive sensor could help manufacturers create “the next level of health monitoring and biomedical devices,” a team of researchers has claimed.

Engineers from the University of British Columbia in Canada said their creation could be the “missing piece of the puzzle” for wearable technology – easy to make, low-cost and with great physical properties.

The team created the sensors by infusing rubber-like adhesive pads with graphene nano-flakes. The resulting material, they said, went through more than 10,000 “vigorous” cycles of stretching and relaxing while maintaining its electrical stability. The haptic sensor, which precisely replicates finger gestures, also kept its accuracy as it was stretched to three-and-a-half times its original size.

To demonstrate the sensors, the researchers from the Okanagan campus built three wearable devices – a knee band, wristband and a glove, each capable of sensing different ranges of movement. The wristband monitored heartbeats by sensing pulses in the artery, while the glove picked up finger motions. The knee band monitored large-scale muscle movements during walking, running, sitting down and standing up.

The sensors could be particularly useful in next-generation biomedical and health tools, the team said. Devices on the human body must be able to handle repetitive movements while maintaining sensitivity. The sensors are also low-cost and accessible, said co-authors Homayoun Najjaran and Mina Hoorfar.

Another potential application could be monitoring human movements to replicate them robotically, a promising field in surgical operations. 

The research was published in the Journal of Sensors and Actuators A: Physical.

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.