Author(s): Kadir Ozlem*
Potential applications in human computer interaction, object detection, and human motion recognition, soft pressure sensors have garnered a lot of attention over the past ten years. However, the complicated and time-consuming steps limit their mass production and availability to end users. A significant obstacle is also the scalability of the working range for various applications. As a result, this work proposes a fast, labour-free, and scalable manufacturing method for capacitive-based soft pressure sensors with a wide working range and high sensitivity. By altering production parameters in accordance with specific application requirements, the novel manufacturing technique makes it possible to alter the properties of sensors. The dielectric layers of the proposed sensor are made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sheets, and the electrode is made of conductive knit fabric. In order to capture low pressures of less than 1 kPa, the novel method makes it possible to create scalable air gaps between dielectric layers and electrodes. The working range of sensors up to 1000 kPa is also increased when multi-layer TPU sheets are used. The proposed technology is successfully used to create a variety of sensor mats for a variety of uses, including interactive gaming mats for children and improved gesture and shape recognition.
