posted on 2023-04-04, 03:04authored bySudeep Sharma, Gagan Bahadur Pradhan, Seonghoon Jeong, Shipeng Zhang, Hyesu Song, Jae Yeong Park
Electronic gloves (e-gloves), with their multifunctional
sensing
capability, hold a promising application in robotic skin and human–machine
interfaces, endowing robots with a human sense of touch. Despite the
progress in developing e-gloves by exploiting flexible or stretchable
sensors, existing models have inherent rigidity in their sensing area,
limiting their stretchability and sensing performance. Herein, we
present an all-directional strain-insensitive stretchable e-glove
that successfully extends sensing functionality such as pressure,
temperature, humidity, and ECG with minimal crosstalk. A scalable
and facile method is successfully demonstrated by combining low-cost
CO2 laser engraving and electrospinning technology to fabricate
multimodal e-glove sensors with a vertical architecture. In comparison
to other smart gloves, the proposed e-glove features a ripple-like
meandering sensing area and interconnections that are designed to
stretch in response to the applied deformation, without affecting
the performance of the sensors offering full mechanical stretchability.
Furthermore, CNT-coated laser-engraved graphene (CNT/LEG) is used
as an active sensing material in which the cross-linking network of
the CNT in the LEG minimizes the stress effect and maximizes the sensitivity
of the sensors. The fabricated e-glove can detect hot/cold, moisture,
and pain simultaneously and precisely, while also allowing for remote
transmission of sensory data to the user.