Sensors (Dec 2017)

A Triple-Mode Flexible E-Skin Sensor Interface for Multi-Purpose Wearable Applications

  • Sung-Woo Kim,
  • Youngoh Lee,
  • Jonghwa Park,
  • Seungmok Kim,
  • Heeyoung Chae,
  • Hyunhyub Ko,
  • Jae Joon Kim

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/s18010078
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 1
p. 78

Abstract

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This study presents a flexible wireless electronic skin (e-skin) sensor system that includes a multi-functional sensor device, a triple-mode reconfigurable readout integrated circuit (ROIC), and a mobile monitoring interface. The e-skin device’s multi-functionality is achieved by an interlocked micro-dome array structure that uses a polyvinylidene fluoride and reduced graphene oxide (PVDF/RGO) composite material that is inspired by the structure and functions of the human fingertip. For multi-functional implementation, the proposed triple-mode ROIC is reconfigured to support piezoelectric, piezoresistance, and pyroelectric interfaces through single-type e-skin sensor devices. A flexible system prototype was developed and experimentally verified to provide various wireless wearable sensing functions—including pulse wave, voice, chewing/swallowing, breathing, knee movements, and temperature—while their real-time sensed data are displayed on a smartphone.

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