Polymer Microelectromechanical System-Integrated Flexible Sensors for Wearable Technologies

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) using flexible and/or stretchable polymers can bring new functions of conformal integration of sensors on flat and curved surfaces. Here, we report flexible strain/pressure sensors using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyimide-based MEMS. The MEMS device architecture enables the integration of three electrical sensors, outputting digital signals, onto an area of 50 mm2 for strain and pressure detection. We show that engineered sensors with various sensitivities in bending mode can be applied to control robotic arms. Another demonstration of pressure sensing using these sensors enables the potential of pressure control in handling physical objects. Our integrated wearable flexible sensors, compared to widely used rigid sensors, derive flexibility and stretchability from polymer materials and have huge potential applications in robotics, prosthetics, and other wearable technologies requiring flexible sensors.