Picture a tablet that you can fold into the size of a phone and put away in your pocket, or an artificial skin that can sense your body’s movements and vital signs. A new, inexpensive sensor developed at the University of British Columbia could help make advanced devices like these a reality.
The sensor uses a highly conductive gel sandwiched between layers of silicone that can detect different types of touch, including swiping and tapping, even when it is stretched, folded or bent. This feature makes it suited for foldable devices of the future.
“There are sensors that can detect pressure, such as the iPhone’s 3D Touch, and some that can detect a hovering finger, like Samsung’s AirView. There are also sensors that are foldable, transparent and stretchable. Our contribution is a device that combines all those functions in one compact package,” said researcher Mirza Saquib Sarwar, a PhD student in electrical and computer engineering at UBC.
The prototype, described in a recent paper in Science Advances, measures 5 cm x 5 cm but could be easily scaled up as it uses inexpensive, widely available materials, including the gel and silicone.
“It’s entirely possible to make a room-sized version of this sensor for just dollars per square metre, and then put sensors on the wall, on the floor, or over the surface of the body—almost anything that requires a transparent, stretchable touch screen,” said Sarwar. “And because it’s cheap to manufacture, it could be embedded cost-effectively in disposable wearables like health monitors.”
The sensor could also be integrated in robotic “skins” to make human-robot interactions safer, added John Madden, Sarwar’s supervisor and a professor in UBC’s faculty of applied science.
“Currently, machines are kept separate from humans in the workplace because of the possibility that they could injure humans. If a robot could detect our presence and be ‘soft’ enough that they don’t damage us during an interaction, we can safely exchange tools with them, they can pick up objects without damaging them, and they can safely probe their environment,” said Madden.
Learn more: New flexible sensor holds potential for foldable touch screens
[osd_subscribe categories=’wearable-sensor’ placeholder=’Email Address’ button_text=’Subscribe Now for any new posts on the topic “WEARABLE SENSORS”‘]
Receive an email update when we add a new WEARABLE SENSORS article.
The Latest on: Wearable sensor
[google_news title=”” keyword=”wearable sensor” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Wearable sensor
- AI Sensor Market To Surpass USD 66.1 Billion By 2031 Fuelled By Integration With Autonomous Vehicles And Iot Deviceson May 12, 2024 at 1:27 am
North America holds the largest market share due to its growing technological infrastructure, leading AI and sensor technology companies, and significant investments in R&D. The United States, a major ...
- AAEP Project for Wearable Biometric Sensor Development Advanceson May 10, 2024 at 4:55 pm
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) requests participation from Thoroughbred trainers and owners in the research phase of the AAEP's initiative to assist with the implementation of ...
- AAEP Biometric Sensor Development to Next Phaseon May 10, 2024 at 2:43 pm
The American Association of Equine Practitioners requests the participation of Thoroughbred industry trainers and owners in the impending research phase of the AAEP's initiative to assist with ...
- How StrideSafe's wearable sensors helped monitor horse safety during Kentucky Derbyon May 10, 2024 at 1:43 pm
StrideSAFE sensors, which were used for the second year at the 2024 Kentucky Derby, track movement in three directional planes to recognize changes in running styles that ultimately indicate the ...
- AAEP Seeking Thoroughbred Trainers, Owners To Advance Wearable Biometric Sensor Developmenton May 10, 2024 at 1:02 pm
Six companies have been asked to recruit 100 2-year-olds to wear their sensor from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 in 2025 ...
- Vertigenius secures €2.1m investment to develop wearable device to aid vertigo treatmenton May 9, 2024 at 7:22 am
Vertigenius, a pioneering MedTech company specialising in the treatment of vertigo has closed its seed round investment, raising more than €2.1 million in funding. This will enable the company to ...
- How Wearable Technology Helps in Personal Injury Claimson May 8, 2024 at 12:24 pm
Wearable technology has become a constant presence in our lives. It tracks everything from our steps to our heart rates. We wear it while we exercise, during work, in the shower, and even when we ...
- Sensor Patch Market Evaluation: Key Indicators and Growth Projectionson May 7, 2024 at 2:33 pm
Report Ocean published the latest research report on the Sensor Patch market. In order to comprehend a market holistically, a variety of factors must be evaluated, including demographics, business ...
- Wearable device could aid dogs in helping to predict earthquakes, but more research needed, critics sayon May 2, 2024 at 9:21 am
A device that dogs wear on their collar could finally make use of thousands of years of anecdotes detailing a change in behavior in animals before an earthquake.
via Bing News