Stand-Alone Stretchable Absolute Pressure Sensing System for Industrial Applications

A stand-alone stretchable absolute pressure sensing system has been proposed and demonstrated. This is the first step towards the development of an absolute pressure distribution monitoring system for industrial applications. The pressure sensing network can be fabricated in a cost-effective manner on silicon wafers and utilizes the advantages of microelectromechanical system technology. The sensor network possesses great stretchability, capable of being expanded to 10 000% times its original dimensions. Pressure sensing elements in the network have a sensitivity of about -0.14 mV/V/kPa. In addition, low-noise readout electronics, designed for signal conditioning, power management, and wireless communication, were implemented to realize the stand-alone absolute pressure sensor network. Furthermore, the stand-alone pressure sensing system prototype has been tested by measuring pressure at different locations in real time. Experimental measurements show good agreement with simulations and a commercial reference sensor. The sensor system can measure real-time mapping profiles of absolute pressure and has great potential for a variety of industrial applications.