Muscle Movement Tracking Using Nanocomposite Based Pressure Sensor

Abstract

Nowadays, demands for flexible and wearable electronic devices are increasing due to their facile interaction with the human body. In this context, a nanocomposite based pressure sensor was developed for health monitoring applications including fingers motion detection and medical investigations. These sensors are fabricated using the carbon nanotubes (CNT) as they exhibit a high electrical and mechanical properties. Under pressure, the variation of the sensor's capacitance and resistance were detected based on the change of the conductive network formed by CNT/Polymer interactions. In term of resistance variation, a measurement circuit was proposed using the voltage divider method and an ATmega2560 board for data processing. Several tests were carried out to investigate the sensor response. In this concept, a Matlab based fitting algorithm was designed for calibration and measurement of the nanocomposite based pressure sensor. Furthermore, a data acquisition circuit was developed to receive processing signals of the sensor's responses and control the robotic arm via real-time Bluetooth communication. In addition, a web page interface was integrated using wireless communication for sensor monitoring and visualizing the pressure response.