Rational design of self-powered sensors with polymer nanocomposites for human–machine interaction

Smart sensors are becoming one of the necessities for connecting and detecting surrounding stimuli with tremendous convenience, especially when exploiting a single powerful sensor with multifunctionality. To successfully accomplish the design of a self-powered sensor, serving power is becoming a critical issue because of its continuously consumed energy required by electronics. A variety of nanogenerators aiming for the rational design of self-powered system are reviewed and compared, followed by their recent advances with polymer nanocomposites for self-powered sensors. More importantly, the proposed conceptual design of a self-powered unit/device with triboelectric nanogenerator has been emphasized to eventually realize the practical activities towards multiple detections and human–machine interaction. Finally, challenges and new prospects of rational design of self-powered polymer composite sensors in achieving human–machine interaction/interface are discussed.