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Wu et al. Soft Sci 2023;3:35 Soft Science
DOI: 10.20517/ss.2023.26

Research Article Open Access

Liquid metal-based strain-sensing glove for human-

machine interaction

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Pengcheng Wu 1,# , Chun Ki Yiu 1,2,# , Xingcan Huang , Jiyu Li , Guoqiang Xu , Yuyu Gao , Kuanming Yao ,
1,2
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Lung Chow , Guangyao Zhao , Yawen Yang , Yanli Jiao , Xinge Yu 1,2,*
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Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, Hong Kong, China.
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Hong Kong Center for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering, Hong Kong 999077, Hong Kong, China.
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Authors contributed equally.
* Correspondence to: Prof. Xinge Yu, Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee
Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong 999077, Hong Kong, China. E-mail: xingeyu@cityu.edu.hk
How to cite this article: Wu P, Yiu CK, Huang X, Li J, Xu G, Gao Y, Yao K, Chow L, Zhao G, Yang Y, Jiao Y, Yu X. Liquid metal-
based strain-sensing glove for human-machine interaction. Soft Sci 2023;3:35. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ss.2023.26
Received: 7 Jun 2023 First Decision: 27 Jun 2023 Revised: 22 Jul 2023 Accepted: 31 Jul 2023 Published: 14 Oct 2023
Academic Editor: Zhifeng Ren Copy Editor: Lin He Production Editor: Dong-Li Li
Abstract
Soft and stretchable strain sensors have aroused great interest in research and engineering fields due to their
promising application potential in many areas, including human-machine interface and healthcare monitoring.
However, developing stable, strain-sensitive, and fatigue-resistant wearable strain sensors remains challenging.
Herein, we report a low-cost strain-sensing glove based on a commercial nitrile glove and liquid metal as both
sensing units and circuit/interconnects, with excellent response to strains and great stability in long-term use. The
liquid metal sensing circuit is prepared by scraping the liquid metal slurry in situ on glove fingers, followed by soft
silicone encapsulation. The whole process does not involve toxic chemicals, so no strict requirements on the
operating environment are necessary. The strain-sensing glove is capable of real-time monitoring of finger gestures
in a very sensitive and accurate way, which exhibits great application potential as a soft controller in manipulating
the machine hand to achieve related human-machine interaction.

Keywords: Liquid metal, strain sensor, human-machine interaction, flexible electronics

INTRODUCTION
With the rapid progress of materials and devices in flexible electronics, wearable electronics are attracting
more and more research interests in many fields , such as healthcare , sports monitoring , and human-
[6,7]
[8,9]
[1-5]

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
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