Breathable, Structure-Gradient Pressure Sensing Textile for Rehabilitation Assistance

Triboelectric pressure sensing textile shows great potential in various wearable applications such as healthcare monitoring system due to their light weight, high permeability and flexibility. However, it’s difficult to achieve high sensitivity and large pressure sensing range simultaneously. Here, we innovatively crafted a skin-inspired fiber mat (SIFM) with a gradient structure using a template-assisted layer-by-layer electrospinning technique. Drawing inspiration from the human skin, our SIFM mimics its natural micro-bump texture, gradually transitioning from soft to rigid as one moves from its outermost surface towards its core. The distinct structural design of SIFM has led to the development of a breathable, structure-gradient pressure sensing textile (PSPST) with simultaneously high sensitivity, wide detection range and high breathability. In comparison to conventional pressure sensing textiles constructed from homogeneous fiber mats, our PSPST exhibits a substantial enhancement in pressure sensing performance. Finally, We demonstrate its ability for rehabilitation assistance, including monitoring the quadricep, pulse and plantar pressure simultaneously.