Stretchable Electronics Fabrication Techniques for Wearable Glove Sensors using Encapsulated Liquid Metal Paste

Stretchable electronic circuits and systems will be critical for future wearable devices and smart textiles, where existing printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication approaches severely limit conformal deformation. This is especially true for wearable sensors and actuators for the Internet-of-Things and conformable electronic skins and textiles, all critical for emerging physical human-machine interfaces. This study explores materials and methods for the fabrication of wearable glove sensors using liquid metal paste encapsulated in silicone. Both stencil printing and free-form application are employed along with multiple casting methods, and glove sensors are demonstrated with electronic readout for measuring finger movement.