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There is a great demand for human–machine interfaces (HMIs) in emerging electronics applications. However, commercially available plastic-based HMIs are primarily rigid, application-specific, and hard to recycle and dispose of due to their non-biodegradability. This results in electronic and plastic waste, potentially damaging the environment by ending up in landfills and water resources. This work presents a green, capacitive pressure-sensitive (CPS), touch sensor-based keypad as a disposable, wireless, and intelligent HMI to mitigate these problems. The CPS touch keypads were fabricated through a facile green fabrication process by direct writing of graphite-on-paper, using readily available materials such as paper and pencils, etc. The interdigitated capacitive (IDC) touch sensors were optimized by analyzing the number of electrode fingers, dimensions, and spacing between the electrode fingers. The CPS touch keypad was customized to wirelessly control a robotic arm's movements based on the touch input. A low-pressure touch allows slow-speed robotic arm movement for precision movements, and a high-pressure touch allows high-speed robotic arm movement to cover the large movements quickly. The green CPS touch keypad, as a disposable wireless HMI, has the potential to enforce a circular economy by mitigating electronic and plastic waste, which supports the vision of a sustainable and green world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of humidity sensors in different industries and field applications, such as agriculture, food monitoring, biomedical equipment, heating, and ventilation, is well known. However, most commercially available humidity sensors are based on polymers or electronic materials that are not degradable and thus contribute to electronic waste. Here, we report a low-cost, flexible, easy-to-fabricate, and eco-friendly parallel-plate capacitive humidity sensor for field applications. The sensor is fabricated from copper tape and tissue paper, where copper tape is used to create the plates of the capacitor, and tissue paper is used as a dielectric sensing layer. Along with the low cost, the high sensitivity, better response and recovery times, stability, and repeatability make this sensor unique. The sensor was tested for relative humidity (RH), ranging from 40% to 99%, and the capacitance varied linearly with RH from 240 pF to 720 pF, as measured by an Arduino. The response time of the sensor is ~1.5 s, and the recovery time is ~2.2 s. The experiment was performed 4–5 times on the same sensor, and repeatable results were achieved with an accuracy of ±0.1%. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits a stable response when tested at different temperatures. Due to the above advantages, the presented sensor can find ready applications in different areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring soil moisture in real-time is an important parameter that helps farmers decide to enhance agriculture productivity and reduce resource wastage for better production and plant growth. In this work, we presented an easy-to-use and highly sensitive screen-printed flexible soil moisture sensor array to monitor soil moisture remotely for precision agriculture. The proposed sensor is based on a unique interdigitated electrode (IDE)-based capacitive structure with conductive carbon ink printed on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using the screen printing technique. Before soil moisture monitoring, the sensor is tested for humidity monitoring in an environmental chamber. A response of ∼144–1760 pF for 20–100%RH with 10%RH variation is observed for a single sensor, while an array configuration ranges from ∼127–1802 pF. The sensor response is observed for a temperature range from 20 to 50 'C. The sensor's sensitivity for relative humidity sensing is 19.123%pF/RH, and the response and recovery time are ∼3.3 s and ∼4.2 s. Further, the sensor is tested for soil moisture sensing, as moisture content is gradually added to the completely dry soil. A highly sensitive response for soil moisture content (MC) with a ∼40.7%pF/MC sensitivity is obtained. The sensor data is transmitted wirelessly using a Bluetooth module. The sensor is supported by a wooden stick, which illustrates the capabilities of biodegradability, the sensor is cost-effective and provides a real-time measurement for soil moisture. The sensors have the potential to provide maintenance-free monitoring, facilitating precise control of irrigation practices in precision agriculture. With their affordability and ability to operate on a large scale, the sensor offers promising opportunities for enhancing irrigation systems. [Display omitted] • A highly sensitive, printed, and flexible sensor's array is presented to monitor soil moisture content and humidity. • A unique IDE based design is proposed to enhance the sensor sensitivity which is important parameter for agriTech monitoring. • Response of the soil sensor array for given humidity is ∼144-1760pF, with sensitivity of 19.123%pF/RH. • The sensor illustrates cost-effectiveness and real-time soil moisture measurement capabilities for precision agriculture. • The soil moisture sensor enables maintenance-free monitoring, aiding precise irrigation control in precision agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]