Force-sensitive textile sensors are
becoming a research hotspot
as a part of wearable devices. The core research topic is the method
to obtain the sensing property, which decides the sensitivity and
service performance of the sensors. Here, we introduce a new sensing
mechanism based on a statistical change of contact resistance that
exhibits an exponential decay upon strain or pressure, where a novel
conductive bamboo fabric is prepared and the dependence of electric
conductivity on the fabric structure is discovered. The fabric surface
resistivity (ρs) is anisotropic with respect to the
measuring directions and the warp, weft, and linear densities. The
surface resistance (R
s) decreases rapidly
under pulling force, especially in diagonal directions, making it
available in designing strain sensors. The volume resistivity (ρv) decreases with increasing weft and linear densities, too.
The vertical resistance (R
v) decays exponentially
under pressure, and the rule is retained even if the fabric is coated
with a polymer, leading to diverse possible pressure sensors with
a good service performance (e.g., waterproof). Finally, the conductive
fabric could be facilely tailored to various wearable sensors with
a fast response time, e.g., sensing finger sleeves and sensing insole,
which could be used to operate the manipulator’s fingers or
to monitor human walking gestures, respectively.