A tutorial of characterization methods on flexible pressure sensors: fundamental and applications

Abstract Flexible pressure sensors that respond to normal contact force, play a pivotal role in a wide range of applications, such as health monitoring, robotic perception and artificial intelligence. With the increasing demand for specialized and high-performance pressure sensors, the key parameters of these sensors, including sensitivity, detection range, linearity, response time, and cyclic stability, etc, have become crucial factors in determining their suitability for specific applications. The characterization of these key parameters has therefore become an essential step in the overall research process. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive tutorial on the characterization methods for flexible pressure sensors. Sections 1 and 2 provide a brief introduction to the research motivation and sensing mechanism, respectively. In section 3, we systematically discuss the fundamental of characterization methods on flexible pressure sensors, covering study facilities and characterization methods for assessing basic performances and analyzing device mechanism. Furthermore, in section 4, we present approaches for evaluating the application potential of flexible pressure sensors. Lastly, we address critical challenges and offer perspectives on the advancement and characterization methods of flexible pressure sensors. Our aim is to provide a valuable tutorial guideline that assists researchers, particularly beginners, in establishing their experimental facilities and study platforms, while enabling them to effectively characterize the performance of flexible pressure sensors.