Recently, the health problems faced by sedentary workers have received increasing attention. In this study, a pressure sensor based on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)/carboxylated chitosan (CCS)/carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotube (cMWCNT) sponge was prepared to realize a portable, sensitive, comfortable, and noninvasive healthcare monitoring system for sedentary workers. The proposed piezoresistive pressure sensor exhibited exceptional sensing performances with high sensitivity (147.74 kPa-1), an ultrawide detection range (22 Pa to 1.42 MPa), and reliable stability (over 3000 cycles). Furthermore, the obtained sensor displayed superior capability in detecting various human motion signals. Based on the 4 × 4 sensing array and multilayer perceptron (MLP) algorithm model, a smart cushion was developed to recognize five types of sitting postures and supply timely reminders to sedentary workers. The piezoresistive sponge pressure sensor proposed in this study reveals promising potential in the fields of wearable electronics, healthcare monitoring, and human-machine interface applications.
Keywords: MLP algorithm; carboxylated MWCNTs; conductive sponge; healthcare monitoring; piezoresistive pressure sensor.