Tissue paper-based movement sensor is disposable, wearable
The technology demonstrates that by tearing tissue paper loaded with nanocomposites and breaking the paper’s fibers, the paper then acts as a sensor. According to the researchers, it can detect a heartbeat, finger force, finger movement, eyeball movement, and more.
“The major innovation is a disposable wearable sensor made with cheap tissue paper,” says Jae-Hyun Chung, a UW associate professor of mechanical engineering and senior author of the research. “When we break the specimen, it will work as a sensor.”
In their research, the engineers used conventional paper towel paper similar to toilet tissue that was doused with carbon nanotube-laced water, making it electrically conductive. Since each piece of tissue paper contains both horizontal and vertical cellulose fibers, when it is torn, the direction of the tear informs the sensor of what’s happened.
The sensors – about the size of a Band-Aid – could have a variety of applications in various fields, say the researchers, including healthcare, robotics, and entertainment. After use, they can then be discarded.
For example, potential applications could include monitoring a person’s gait or the movement of their eyes. To trace eye movement, the sensor can be attached to a person’s glasses.
Looking ahead, the researchers hope to bring their lab results to a suitable commercial use, and have filed a provisional patent application. For more, see “Fracture-Induced Mechanoelectrical Sensitivities of Paper-Based Nanocomposites.”
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