Low Profile and Low Cost Textile Smart Mat for Step Pressure Sensing and Position Mapping

This paper presents a textile smart mat for step pressure sensing and position mapping, which employs low cost and low profile grid array of pressure sensors. A multiple layer structure with polyester textile, conductive copper taffeta and velostat are applied for fabrication. Arduino ATmega2560 board and Java programming via Processing are used for data collection and visualization respectively. Novel snap buttons have been implemented for the easy connection / disconnection between the sensor and control board, increasing flexibility and reducing connection challenges often associated with the material / hardware interface. The mat shows promising potential in physio rehabilitation and sports monitoring.