Design of wearable strain sensors based on stretchable electronics for human motion monitoring applications.

Wearable devices have been attracting growing interest in detection of human body motion and human physiological parameters. In the healthcare field, motion data is used for diagnosis and rehabilitation as well as in sport science it is significant for physical therapy and training of athletes. Although the development of high-performance electronic devices for wearable applications represents a demanding challenge, investigated sensing devices with high stretchability have shown good suitability to be employed for several potential applications in human motion monitoring. For this aim, flexible and stretchable sensors, based on strain-response mechanism, were designed and analyzed by the conducted research study. The design process began with the steps of material selection and structure design through to the final fabrication and characterization process: simple fabrication steps were introduced to prepare sensing samples, which were assembled from conductive composite and finally characterized in terms of electromechanical response. Moreover, hardware and software methods, based on high resolution analog-digital conversion, were adopted in order to interface with the samples, making possible to perform real-time data acquisition. Applications to monitor human body motion were investigated by carrying out dynamic tests, proving the sensors were appropriate also for multiple motion detection. The acquired sensing signals were then analyzed and the related final results discussed. The developed samples showed high stretchability, high electrical conductivity, and excellent fit for wearable applications, leading to the possibility of further integration into more complex wearable sensing systems.