Monolithic and scalable capacitive electrodes leveraging parasitic capacitance for full-body pressure mapping
Scaling capacitive pressure sensor arrays to large areas remains challenging due to electrode alignment errors, fabrication complexity, and limited dynamic range inherent in conventional parallel-plate architectures. Here, we present a scalable capacitive pressure sensor array based on a monolithic electrode architecture, where transmitter and receiver electrodes are co-integrated into a single substrate. A deformable dielectric and a floating ground (GND) layer are positioned above, eliminating alignment errors and reducing the layer-stacking process by 20%. The parasitic capacitance between the electrodes and GND layer is intentionally incorporated into the sensing mechanism, enabling stable pressure detection with effective electromagnetic interference shielding. The resulting 2911-cell array (1.7 m by 1.0 m) achieves 30 Hz full-body pressure mapping with high linearity (R 2 = 0.994). Demonstrations in sleep posture classification, pressure injury prevention, and exercise monitoring validate the platform’s versatility for healthcare and human-machine interfaces.
Authors
- Junseong Ahn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4090-5440)
- Donho Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5310-3969)
- Seokjoo Cho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5499-1266)
- Byeongmin Kang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8399-0707)
- Ji‐Hwan Ha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1349-0761)
- Yong Suk Oh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5370-2781)
- Chang-Yeon Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6311-8831)
- Hyeonseok Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9166-7104)
- Inkyu Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5761-7739)
- Jungrak Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6049-7504)
- Seungtaek Jang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0598-1656)
- Jiwon Moon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5361-6446)
- Chankyu (Charlie) Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6026-1964)
- Jihyeon Ahn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1734-4746)
- Changjoon Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9498-9212)
Institutions
- Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (KR)
- Hanbat National University (KR)
- Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
- Changwon National University (KR)
- Korea University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2026-10-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeh8618
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
- Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute