New Stretchable, Wearable Sensor Based on Chewing Gum
A new, super stretchy sensor is on its way thanks to an unexpected pairing of chewing gum and carbon nanotubes. Researchers from Canada's Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba and the University of Manitoba have developed a novel way to fabricate an elastic, attachable, and cost-efficient carbon nanotube (CNT)-based strain gauge that can be efficiently used as bodily motion sensors. In this design, CNTs are aligned and distributed uniformly on the entire chewing gum membrane by multiple stretching and folding techniques. The current sensor is demonstrated to be a linear strain sensor for at least strains up to 200% and can detect strains as high as 530% with a high sensitivity ranging from 12 to 25 and high durability. The gum sensor has been used as bodily motion sensors and the sensitivity is quite high, capable of tracing slow breathing. Since the gum sensor can be patterned into various forms, it has wide applications in miniaturized sensors and biochips. The gum sensor also has the ability to monitor humidity changes with high sensitivity and fast resistance response capable of monitoring human breathing.
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00:00:00 a new super stretchy sensor is on its way thanks to an unexpected pairing of chewing gum and carbon nanot tubes sensors that measure heart rate and other personal Health Data are booming but they've been limited by their stiffness scientists from the University of Manitoba and the Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba in Canada
00:00:22 wanted to change that they have developed a highly sensitive and stretchy sensor that can measure a wide range of movements and also humidity levels they their results in ACS supplied materials and interfaces to make their sensor A team member chewed a piece of gum for 30 minutes in this case doubl Min gum but any type will do the researchers then washed it with ethanol
00:00:42 and let it sit overnight to give it sensing ability they added a solution of carbon Nano tubes finger bending and head turning tests showed that the material could keep working with high sensitivity even when strained 53% the sensor also could detect humidity changes a feature that could be used to track breathing which releases water vapor with every exhale now you
00:01:03 can chew your gum and wear it too ACS headline science is produced by the American Chemical Society for more on the latest research and ACS Publications why not subscribe to ACS