A Wearable, Humidity-Resistant Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Hydrophobic Leather for Human Motion Monitoring and Sign Language Recognition

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are innovative solutions for self-powered wearable electronics and sensors. However, humidity substantially degrades their output performance. Therefore, developing fabrication techniques that maintain high output performance in humid environments, along with suitable triboelectric materials, remains a major challenge. In this context, we created a low-cost, durable, and humidity-resistant TENG (WPL-TENG) using hydrophobic leather as a tribo-positive material. The WPL-TENG maintained a stable output voltage of ∼57 V across −10 to 98 °C, with only a 2% decrease in output voltage when humidity increased from 28% to 86%. Embedded in shoes, it effectively monitors human motion, generating output voltages of 50 V for walking, 100 V for jumping, and 150 V for running. Furthermore, standardized sign language gestures representing emotions were distinctly recognized through electric waveforms recorded using a wireless signal transmission module that communicated with a mobile device in real-timely. These electric signals were instantly translated into text or audio via a prototype system, seamlessly bridging language barriers among diverse groups.