A self-powered laminated fabric sensor for human motion detection and heart-rate monitoring based on PPy/Al Schottky contact

Continuous real-time human motion and heart-rate monitoring systems can provide vital clinical information for disease diagnosis, preventive healthcare and rehabilitation care. However, it is still a challenge to design wearable pressure/strain sensors with great flexibility and sustainable power for motion detection and physiological signal monitoring. Here, a self-powered laminated fabric sensor based on Schottky contact was successfully fabricated. This laminated fabric sensor was constructed by sandwiching the polypyrrole (PPy)-coated fabric with the Ni-coated fabric and Al plastic film. The electrical outputs under strain were attributed to the single Schottky contact between PPy and Al. This fabric sensor exhibited excellent stability under continuous quick cycling operation and at high relative humidity, which could be adapted to different human body parts for continuous motion detection and heart-rate monitoring. This work is of great significance to demonstrate a promising strategy toward self-powered wearable pressure sensors used for human motion detecting and hear-rate monitoring.