Wearable Flexible Wireless Pressure Sensor Based on Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Carbon Nanotube/MXene Composite for Health Monitoring

Abstract

Accurate pressure monitoring is crucial for both human body applications and intelligent robotic arms, particularly for whole-body motion monitoring in human–machine interfaces. Conventional wearable electronic devices, however, often suffer from rigid connections, non-conformity, and inaccuracies. In this study, we propose a high-precision wireless flexible sensor using a poly(vinyl alcohol)/single-walled carbon nanotube/MXene composite as the sensitive material, combined with a randomly distributed wrinkle structure to accurately monitor pressure parameters. To validate the sensor’s performance, it was used to monitor movements of the vocal cords, bent fingers, and human pulse. The sensor exhibits a pressure measurement range of approximately 0–130 kPa and a minimum resolution of 20 Pa. At pressures below 1 kPa, the sensor exhibits high sensitivity, enabling the detection of transient pressure changes. Within the pressure range of 1–10 kPa, the sensitivity decreases to approximately 54.71 kPa−1. Additionally, the sensor demonstrates response times of 12.5 ms at 10 kPa. For wireless signal acquisition, the pressure sensor was integrated with a Bluetooth chip, enabling real-time high-precision pressure monitoring. A deep learning-based training model was developed, achieving over 98% accuracy in motion recognition without additional computing equipment. This advancement is significant for streamlined human motion monitoring systems and intelligent components.