Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering , National University of Singapore , 4 Engineering Drive 3 , 117576 , Singapore.
National University of Singapore Suzhou Research Institute (NUSRI) , Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou 215123 , China.
ACS Nano. 2019 Feb 26;13(2):1940-1952. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b08329. Epub 2019 Feb 13.
Wearable devices rely on hybrid mechanisms that possess the advantages of establishing a smarter system for healthcare, sports monitoring, and smart home applications. Socks with sensing capabilities can reveal more direct sensory information on the body for longer duration in daily life. However, the limitation of suitable materials for smart textile makes the development of multifunctional socks a major challenge. In this paper, we have developed a self-powered and self-functional sock (S-sock) to realize diversified functions including energy harvesting and sensing various physiological signals, i.e., gait, contact force, sweat level, etc., by hybrid integrating poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)-coated fabric triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric chips. An output power of 1.71 mW is collected from a PEDOT:PSS-coated sock with mild jumping at 2 Hz and load resistance of 59.7 MΩ. The study shows that cotton socks worn daily can potentially be a power source for enabling self-sustained socks comprising wireless transmission modules and integrated circuits in the future. We also investigate the influences of environmental humidity, temperature, and weight variations and verify that our S-sock can successfully achieve walking pattern recognition and motion tracking for smart home applications. On the basis of the sensor fusion concept, the outputs from TENG and PZT sensors under exercise activities are effectively merged together for quick detection of the sweat level. By leveraging the hybrid S-sock, we can achieve more functionality in the applications of foot-based energy harvesting and monitoring the diversified physiological signals for healthcare, smart homes, etc.
可穿戴设备依赖于混合机制,具有为医疗保健、运动监测和智能家居应用建立更智能系统的优势。具有传感功能的袜子可以在日常生活中更直接地揭示身体的感觉信息,并持续更长时间。然而,适用于智能纺织品的合适材料的局限性使得多功能袜子的开发成为一个主要挑战。在本文中,我们开发了一种自供电和自功能袜子(S-sock),通过混合集成聚(3,4-亚乙基二氧噻吩)聚苯乙烯磺酸盐(PEDOT:PSS)涂层织物摩擦纳米发电机(TENG)和锆钛酸铅(PZT)压电芯片,实现了能量收集和感知各种生理信号的多样化功能,例如步态、接触力、汗液水平等。从一个 PEDOT:PSS 涂层的袜子中采集到 1.71 mW 的输出功率,其在 2 Hz 和 59.7 MΩ 的负载电阻下进行轻度跳跃。研究表明,日常穿着的棉袜将来有可能成为自供电袜子的电源,该袜子包含无线传输模块和集成电路。我们还研究了环境湿度、温度和重量变化的影响,并验证了我们的 S-sock 可以成功实现智能家居应用中的行走模式识别和运动跟踪。基于传感器融合概念,TENG 和 PZT 传感器在运动活动下的输出有效地融合在一起,以便快速检测汗液水平。通过利用混合 S-sock,我们可以在基于脚部的能量收集和监测多样化生理信号的医疗保健、智能家居等应用中实现更多功能。