Wearable pressure sensor for athletes’ full-range motion signal monitoring

Abstract

In order to real-time grasp of various physiological signals of athletes during sports, a high-performance flexible pressure sensor that can monitor various physiological signals and human motion was designed. Porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) foam prepared by the sacrificial template method and graphene as raw materials were used to prepare a flexible pressure sensor with wide working range (0–100 kPa), ultra-high sensitivity (the average sensitivity in the range of 0–30 kPa is 17.9 kPa−1, the sensitivity in the range of 30–100 kPa reaches 79 kPa−1), fast response ability (response time is 20 ms) and long-term work stability (more than 10 000 cycles). The excellent performance of this pressure sensor depends on the use of PDMS foam with a high elastic modulus and the graphene loading level is controlled to an appropriate ratio. Finally, we used the conductive porous PDMS foam based flexible pressure sensor to demonstrate accurate and real-time monitoring of athletes’ tiny physiological signals (including pulse and electrocardiograph signals), vocalization and facial emotions, as well as violent joint and limb movements (including joint bending, walking, squats, jogging, and jumping), showing the potential in coaching athletes.

Recent Advances in Wearable Healthcare Devices: From Material to Application

“…Some sensors are used to monitor vital signs [118], including respiration [119], temperature [120][121][122][123], blood pressure [124,125], heart rate, and pulse [126][127][128][129][130]. For example, wearable piezoresistive sensors can monitor the pulse and electrocardiograph accurately, even during running [131,132]. For a healthy adult, a normal respiration rate is typically between 12-20 breaths per minute (bpm) .…”

Numerical simulation analysis of capacitive pressure sensors based on porous pyramidal microstructures

“…For instance, they can diagnose and treat conditions, monitor vital signs in real-time, and provide feedback on prosthetic limbs and orthotic devices to improve their fit and comfort [6] [7]. Flexible sensors can also be integrated into wearable gadgets to track physical movements, sleep patterns, and other health-related metrics in order to assess athletes' physiological activities [8] [9]. In robotics, they can provide feedback on grip force and prevent damage to fragile objects [10].…”