Flexible Battery-Free Wireless Sensor Array Based on Functional Gradient-Structured Wood for Pressure and Temperature Monitoring

Approximately 4.5% to 7.0% of hospitalized patients suffer from pressure ulcers. Mitigating risks for pressure ulcers through sensors remains a challenge and a high requirement. A simple, low-cost, battery-free, multi-parameter passive wireless flexible sensor (MPWFS) for all-around pressure and temperature monitoring to prevent pressure ulcers is developed. The pressure sensing unit is fabricated with functional gradient-structured balsa wood and has high sensitivity of 0.34 kPa −1 with a wide detection range of 0–20 kPa. The temperature sensing unit, which is 0.4 mm × 0.2 mm, is embedded in the surface of the pressure sensing unit, enabling temperature monitoring with a resolution of 0.1 °C. The flexible Radio Frequency energy-harvesting unit, data acquisition, and processing, as well as Bluetooth-Low-Energy wireless transmission, are integrated within a 20 mm × 20 mm unit. It acquires continuous temperature and pressure data without a battery at any position more than 1 m away from the power transmitter. Moreover, the combination of the sensor array design with a mobile terminal provides the MPWFS's various benefits, including tracking changes in the supine posture, warning about pressure ulcers, and monitoring falls out of bed. This study presents a new method for long-term bedridden patient care.