Piezoresistive Sensor Technologies
Learn about the Centre for Design Innovation’s research into piezoresistive sensors and their use in various applications and smart products.
Led by Professor Franz Konstantin ‘Tino’ Fuss, with various industry partners and $1.85M in funding, this project investigates the accuracy, manufacturing, costs, testing methods, calibration and application of piezoresistive sensors.
Piezoresistive sensors change their electrical resistance when loaded (tension or compression). Piezoresistive sensors are mostly carbon-based (e.g. carbon black, carbon fibres, graphene).
The carbon particles can be embedded in polymers and fibre composites or dispersed in fluids (piezoresistive inks). Piezoresistive inks can be screen-printed or painted, and, when left to dry, are converted to piezoresistive sensors.
Piezoresistive sensors are mostly used for measuring force, pressure and stress, which is obtained from the electrical conductance of a piezoresistive sensor via the calibration curve.
The most important feature of a piezoresistive sensor is its accuracy, which is often compromised by sensor instability, noise, drift, uneven loading, electrode design, circuitry design, too high resistance, and hysteresis. The latter phenomenon depends on the amount of ‘electrical viscosity’ (Fuss et al., 2019)
The amount of electrical viscosity is calculated from the fractional time derivative of the conductance that eliminates the hysteresis of the calibration curve, the fractional order of which corresponds to the value of the electrical viscosity – e.g. if a quarter-derivative eliminates the hysteresis, then the electrical viscosity is 0.25 or 25%. We proposed a new industry standard for determining the amount of viscosity of piezoresistive sensors (Fuss et al., 2019)
We are currently working on a classification system for assessment of sensor quality.
Applications for Piezoresistive Sensor Technologies
Apart from fundamental research, we have been using piezoresistive sensors for various applications, such as:
- smart insoles
- smart helmets (for real-time feedback of the Head Injury Criterion)
- smart soccer and football shoes (for determining the sweetspot)
- smart martial arts equipment (automated scoring system for Kendo)
- smart boxing gloves
- smart compression garments (for measuring muscle activity and fatigue)
- smart mats (for passenger counting)
- smart horseshoes (for advanced lameness diagnostics)
- smart defense applications
- smart composite materials.
Project timeframe
2012–continuing
Research team
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Graph detailing the location of the centre of pressure when kicking a ball with a smart football shoe to determine the ‘sweet spot’ and the ‘dead spot’ on the boot. -
Smart horseshoe utilising piezoresistive sensors for advanced lameness diagnostics. -
Smart Kendo Sword and Helmet for automated scoring.
Project partners
Parts of this project (smart composites, smart materials) are carried out collaboratively between the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, the Factory of the Future and Centre for Design Innovation.
Our collaboration partners include:
Fuss FK, Tan AM, Weizman Y 2019 ‘Electrical viscosity’ of piezoresistive sensors: Novel signal processing method, assessment of manufacturing quality, and proposal of an industrial standard. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 141 : 111408.
Belbasis A., Fuss FK 2018: Muscle performance investigated with a novel smart compression garment based on pressure sensor force myography and its validation against EMG. Frontiers in Physiology 9 (article 408):1-13.
Fuss FK, Düking P, Weizman Y 2018: Discovery of a Sweet Spot on the Foot with a Smart Wearable Soccer Boot Sensor That Maximizes the Chances of Scoring a Curved Kick in Soccer. Frontiers in Physiology 9 (article 63):1-17.
Moser I, McCarthy C, Jayaraman PP, Ghaderi H, Dia H, Li R, Simmons M, Mehmood U, Tan MA, Weizman Y, Yavari A, Georgakopoulos D, Fuss FK 2019: A Methodology for Empirically Evaluating Passenger Counting Technologies in Public Transport. Australasian Transport Research Forum 2019 Proceedings, 30 September – 2 October, Canberra, Australia; pp 1-15.
Reghat M, Hameed N, Hyde L, Middendorf P, Bjekovic R, Fox B, WEIZMAN Y, TAN AM, FUSS FK 2018: SMART GRAPHENE ENABLED PREFORMS. ECCM18 - 18th European Conference on Composite Materials, Athens, Greece, 24-28th June 2018.
Jeong K, Tan AM, Weizman Y, Fuss FK 2020: Smart Headgear for Assessment of Auditory Response Reaction Time of Professional and Amateur Kendokas. Proceedings 49(1):93.
Moeyersons B, Fuss FK, Tan AM, Weizman Y 2016: Biofeedback System for Novice Snowboarding. In: Jansen AJ (Ed), The Engineering of Sport XI (Procedia Engineering, 147:781-786). Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Jeong K, Fuss FK, Fuernschuss B, Weizman Y 2015: Development of a Smart Kendo Sword and Assessment of Grip Pressure of Kamai Stance and Kote Cut. In: Subic A, Fuss FK, Alam F, Pang TY, Takla M (Eds) The Impact of Technology on Sport VI (Procedia Engineering 112: 231-236). Elsevier, Amsterdam.
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We always welcome new partners. If you are interested in transforming ideas into commercially competitive outcomes, need the support of our research or have any other queries, contact us on +61 3 9214 6072 or email cdiadmin@swinburne.edu.au.