title: Bend, stretch, and touch: Locating a finger on an actively deformed transparent sensor array.
abstract: The development of bendable, stretchable, and transparent touch sensors is an emerging technological goal in a variety of fields, including electronic skin, wearables, and flexible handheld devices. Although transparent tactile sensors based on metal mesh, carbon nanotubes, and silver nanowires demonstrate operation in bent configurations, we present a technology that extends the operation modes to the sensing of finger proximity including light touch during active bending and even stretching. This is accomplished using stretchable and ionically conductive hydrogel electrodes, which project electric field above the sensor to couple with and sense a finger. The polyacrylamide electrodes are embedded in silicone. These two widely available, low-cost, transparent materials are combined in a three-step manufacturing technique that is amenable to large-area fabrication. The approach is demonstrated using a proof-of-concept 4 × 4 cross-grid sensor array with a 5-mm pitch. The approach of a finger hovering a few centimeters above the array is readily detectable. Light touch produces a localized decrease in capacitance of 15%. The movement of a finger can be followed across the array, and the location of multiple fingers can be detected. Touch is detectable during bending and stretch, an important feature of any wearable device. The capacitive sensor design can be made more or less sensitive to bending by shifting it relative to the neutral axis. Ultimately, the approach is adaptable to the detection of proximity, touch, pressure, and even the conformation of the sensor surface.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Mirza Saquib
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sarwar
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Yuta
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dobashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Preston
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Justin K M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7180-5012
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Wyss
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Shahriar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mirabbasi
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: John David Wyndham
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0014-4712
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Madden
keywords: Flexible Electronics; capacitive; flexible touch sensor; hydrogel; proximity; stretchable; touch sensor; transparent; wearable