Wide Range Bimodal Tensile/Compressive Sensor Based on Composite Foam

Limited by the range and sensitivity of sensors, monitoring multifunctional signals during human movement with a single sensor remains a major challenge. Here, we developed a wide range bimodal tensile/compression sensor. The sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 5.077 kPa1 in the 8.90–61.00 kPa range during compression and 0.472 kPa1 in the 139.80–250.00 kPa range, along with a remarkable stretching sensitivity of 0.101 kPa1 in the 60.10–240.5 kPa range. The signal repeatability is 98.9% during 200 cycles of tension and compression tests. The response and recovery time are 96 and 102 ms, respectively. Additionally, we propose a pressure-resistance model to analyze the resistance change under external forces, which has a determination coefficient of 96.78%. The human experiments show that the sensor can meet different parts of the human body, including muscle deformation and joint movement, exhibiting the versatility and adaptability of the sensor in human physiological signal monitoring.