Exploration of Electrical Impedance Tomography and Grid-Based Soft Sensors for Distributed, Large Deformation Strain Sensing Based on a Fiber-Elastomer Composite

This letter presents a comparative analysis between two setups utilizing carbon black-filled elastomer with conductive textile electrodes: electrical impedance tomography (EIT) and a grid-based configuration. Both setups represent cutting-edge approaches in the field of stretchable sensor technology. Both enable the estimation of stretch displacements, surface normal forces, and multipoint contact locations, exhibiting robustness across diverse contact conditions. So far, both approaches have only been employed for flexible and soft but not stretchable force or touch sensors, as well as with rigid metal electrodes. The presented sensors leverage the softness and flexibility of textiles and elastomers and their drastically different conductivities. This letter aims to provide insights into the comparative strengths and limitations of EIT and grid-based fully stretchable strain sensors.