Stretchable self-adhesive and self-powered smart bandage for motion perception and motion intention recognition

Abstract

The research on flexible and stretchable self-powered sensors perceiving human body motion and physiological signals has become a hot spot in recent years. Aided with machine learning, more features of the human motion and physiological signals can be intelligently interpreted. Here, we first propose a triboelectric nanogenerator (BMS-TENG) based on highly conductive multi-walled carbon nanotubes, flexible and stretchable silica gel, and a self-adhesive elastic bandage, which is highly stretchable and self-adhesive for easy fixation on the skin. The maximum stretchability of the sensor is 502%. BMS-TENG sensor can collect a variety of human motion and physiological signals, such as bending fingers and elbows, lifting legs, breathing, and swallowing. With the support of machine learning, we propose a smart bandage system capable of acquiring motion signals and recognizing intentions. By collecting signals from the forearm near the elbow instead of the fingers, the smart bandage can recognize various gestures and muscle action features. Applications of intention-manipulating diverse gestures from the robotic hand and individual identification work well. The system has great potential in human motion monitoring, electronic skin, human-computer interaction, gesture recognition, biomedicine, and other fields.