LG Innotek, which is the materials and components subsidiary of LG, has created a new type of flexible textile pressure sensor.
While most pressure sensors are rather stiff, LG claims its new pressure sensor is extremely flexible thanks to its composition of elastic material.
In addition, the new pressure sensor is capable of sensing pressure across its entire exterior, not simply specific points, meaning the material could find potential applications in healthcare, sports equipment, and cars.
In healthcare, the pressure sensor could be used in a patient’s shoes in order to track movement in balance. Likewise, the pressure sensor could be applied to a golf club in order to record different data about a user’s grip.
Lastly, building the pressure sensor into a car or truck seat would allow the vehicle to adjust to a driver’s body type, weight, and posture, among other things.
The new technology from LG probably won’t be commercially available for a few more years but the company says it has some promising characteristics.
For example, the pressure sensors can withstand being (by a 70 kilogram person) 100,000 times and can function normally at temperatures from 40°C degrees below zero to 80°C above for more than 240 hours at a time.
