Pressure Sensor - Striped Oganza Fabric
What does the sensor do?
It can be used as a pressure matrix sensor that senses which area(s) is/are pressed by how much force. Compared with other DIY pressure matrix solutions, our approach does not require makers to cut out and assemble conductive materials of complex and delicated vertical and horizontal line shapes. Instead, we use off-the-shelf striped fabrics to realize this function.
How it works?
When pressure is applied to the carbon black coated fabrics, it will cause deformation in the thickness direction. As a result, the spacing of conductive carbon particles on the fabric will be reduced, and the resistance of the fabric will decrease.
You will need:
- carbon black ink and polyurethane
- striped organza fabric
- conductive silver fabric
Sensor structure & Fabrication steps
- Laser cut striped organza fabrics (2pcs, same shapes, but with vertical striping directions).
- Dip-coat the nylon spandex fabrics with carbon black ink and then polyurethane. After the coating, the thin fabric between two adjacent fabric strips should form non-conductive areas, while fabric strips retain good conductivity.
- Use mesh TPU to iron&stick two layers of organza fabrics together.
- Connect with silver fabric segments. Circuit diagram, connections, and Arduino code can be found on this amazing tutorial site.
