From wearable to aware: Intrinsically conductive electrotextiles for human strain/stress sensing

An idea on designing intrinsically electrical conductive textile-based strain sensor is presented in this paper. Textile structure endows this sensor flexible, deformable, breathable property that is really wearable. The sensing mechanism is investigated theoretically and experimentally to find the guidelines when designing a textile strain sensor. The electrical conducting mechanisms of yarn and fabric are modeled by using circuit network to analyze the key elements contributing to the fabric sensor. It is found that the contact resistance, which is caused by two contacting fibers or yarns, created and determined by the structures of fabric, is the key factor contributing to the sensing mechanism.