Strain sensors on thermoplastic polyurethane films for lightweight epidermal sensing

We demonstrate lightweight and skin conformable strain gauges. We evaluated water vapor transmission properties of the thin-film sensors and tested their bending characteristics under cyclic bending. We have shown that the sensors are permeable to water vapor and sensitive to radial bending movements. These inexpensive strain sensors have significant potential for monitoring local strains on human body for biomechanics and robotics applications.