A wearable, fibroid, self-powered active kinematic sensor based on stretchable sheath-core structural triboelectric fibers

While the emerging stretchable electronic sensors have been demonstrated as promising wearable functional devices, challenges in achieving highly stretchable and self-powered fiber-like sensors still exist. Here, a stretchable sheath-core structural triboelectric fiber (SSCTEF) is developed to serve as a self-powered multifunctional kinematic sensor. Owing to the advanced built-in wavy structure design, the fiber-like sensor exhibits an ultrahigh working strain (100%) and demonstrates high sensitivity in response to not only stretching but also to bending and compressing. The working principle of the SSCTEF is verified by the coupling of numerical calculations and experimental measurements. A comprehensive study is carried out to investigate the factors that influence the output performance of the SSCTEF. By wearing, it is capable of detecting and discriminating the joint movements of human bodies. By further weaving and construction, it also shows potential for detecting the deformation in two-dimensional region. This work provides new opportunities for wearable and self-powered sensing fibers with full potential in human motion monitoring.