Seamless transformation of flexible plastic film-based sensor to wearable textile-based sensor

Background Continuous respiratory monitoring is important for both clinical care and everyday health assessment. Capaciflector-based respiratory sensors have previously been implemented on flexible polymer substrates; however, seamless integration into wearable garments remains challenging.Methods This study presents the transformation of a capaciflector-based respiratory rate sensor from a flexible plastic-film platform to a textile-based wearable sensor suitable for integration into patient gowns. The sensor was fabricated by screen printing multiple layers of dielectric and silver conductive inks onto a cotton textile substrate. Due to the high surface roughness of the textile (192 μm), a dielectric polymer layer was first printed to create a smoother surface for the subsequent deposition of a thin (10 μm) silver ground electrode.Results Proof-of-concept testing demonstrated successful respiratory monitoring using the textile-based sensor without requiring direct skin contact. The sensor retained the capability to detect individual respiratory cycles, with 11 sensor-detected respiratory events corresponding to 11 breaths measured simultaneously using a capnograph mask.Conclusions The results establish the feasibility of transferring the capaciflector sensor architecture from a flexible polymer substrate to a textile substrate while maintaining respiratory sensing functionality. This work represents an important step toward integrating unobtrusive respiratory monitoring into everyday clothing and healthcare garments. Further quantitative validation across larger participant cohorts is required to assess performance, robustness, and clinical applicability.