A bioinspired high-sensitivity and wide-range ionic capacitive pressure sensor for remote motion control and robotic object recognition

Flexible pressure sensors with high sensitivity and a broad pressure range are critical to practical applications such as smart healthcare, human-machine interfaces, and remote precision control. However, under high pressure, the deformation of microscale sensing structures in flexible materials becomes saturated, sharply reducing sensitivity and limiting accurate monitoring across a broad pressure range. Inspired by human fingertips, a bioinspired multiscale heterogeneous gradient sensing strategy was designed to realize an ionic capacitive pressure sensor combining high sensitivity with a wide pressure detection. The sensor exhibits a maximum sensitivity of 622.8 kPa −1 , while maintaining a stable sensitivity of 74.4 kPa −1 even under high pressure up to 350 kPa. Moreover, the sensor demonstrates a fast response time of 38 ms and excellent stability over 20,000 cycles. As proof of concept, the bioinspired sensor was successfully applied to wearable physiological signal monitoring, robotic object recognition, and remote unmanned aerial vehicle control, highlighting its potential to integrate high sensitivity with a broad operating range.