Flexible sensor detects different types of touch

Researchers from the University of British Columbia have developed a bendable, stretchable, transparent sensor that could have a wide range of applications in wearable electronics.

Described in the journal Science Advances, the flexible device is able to recognise proximity, touch and pressure, combining multiple sensing functions from some of the leading smartphones. It is made using a layer of ionically conductive hydrogel electrodes, sandwiched between two layers of stretchable silicone. The polyacrylamide electrodes project an electric field above the sensor, which can detect a hovering finger as well as swiping and tapping.

“There are sensors that can detect pressure, such as the iPhone’s 3D Touch, and some that can detect a hovering finger, like Samsung’s AirView,” said researcher Mirza Saquib Sarwar, a PhD student in electrical and computer engineering at UBC.

“There are also sensors that are foldable, transparent and stretchable. Our contribution is a device that combines all those functions in one compact package.”