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Wang et al. Soft Sci. 2025, 5, 28 Soft Science
DOI: 10.20517/ss.2025.11

Review Article Open Access

Advances in micro/nano-engineered flexible sensor

arrays for intelligent human-machine interaction

2,3
1
1
Shiyi Wang , Xiaoliang Chen 1,2,3,* , Sheng Li , Bai Sun , Xiaoming Chen 1,2,3,* , Hongmiao Tian 1,2,3 , Chunhui
Wang 1,2,3 , Xiangming Li 1,2,3 , Jinyou Shao 1,2,3,*
1
State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, Shaanxi, China.
2
Frontier Institute of Science and Technology (FIST), Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, Shaanxi, China.
3
Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, Shaanxi, China.
* Correspondence to: Dr. Xiaoliang Chen, Prof. Xiaoming Chen, and Prof. Jinyou Shao, State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing
Systems Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an Yanxiang Road No.99, Xi’an 710049, Shaanxi, China. E-mail:
xiaoliangchen@xjtu.edu.cn; xiaomingchen@xjtu.edu.cn; jyshao@xjtu.edu.cn
How to cite this article: Wang, S.; Chen, X.; Li, S.; Sun, B.; Chen, X.; Tian, H.; Wang, C.; Li, X.; Shao, J. Advances in micro/nano-
engineered flexible sensor arrays for intelligent human-machine interaction. Soft Sci. 2025, 5, 28. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/
ss.2025.11

Received: 8 Apr 2025 First Decision: 14 May 2025 Revised: 3 Jun 2025 Accepted: 19 Jun 2025 Published: 26 Jun 2025
Academic Editor: Zhigang Wu Copy Editor: Xing-Yue Zhang Production Editor: Xing-Yue Zhang

Abstract
Flexible pressure sensor arrays have emerged as a key enabling technology in the era of the Internet of Things and
artificial intelligence, offering real-time, distributed, and multidimensional sensing capabilities. The micro/nano-
engineered sensor arrays, composed of numerous integrated sensing units, show tremendous potential in human-
machine interactions. However, meeting the increasing demands for high-resolution, high-performance area
sensing presents critical challenges, including the fabrication of high-density arrays, mitigation of signal crosstalk,
and the integrated optimization of sensing performance. This paper briefly summarizes and reviews the existing
research strategies of flexible sensor arrays, from high-density sensor array manufacturing technology, anti-
crosstalk design of multi-pixel units, performance control methods for sensing units, to intelligent human-machine
interaction applications. Finally, a future outlook is proposed in light of the current state to promote the wider
application of sensing arrays in human-machine interactions.

Keywords: Flexible sensor array, high density, anti-crosstalk, sensitivity, ultra-wide range

© The Author(s) 2025. 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,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
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