A stretchable soft sensor with a luminescent effect based on a multi-layer structure design

Optical fibers are gradually integrated into textile products for advanced performance. In this study, a stretchable soft sensor was explored by integrating optical fibers and conductive materials with a multi-layer textile structure. This textile material can achieve various luminescence effects at different stretching levels. The material was combined with an electronic control system, which received the sensing signal from the textile material to control the color of the optical fiber luminescence. Additionally, the tensile and sensing performance of all the fabrics were tested, followed by the effect of weave parameters on the tensile properties of the fabrics. The fabric sensing performance was enabled by the material structure design to eliminate the integration of additional components, such as electronic sensors. Since the stretch applies to the fabric, the fabric displays four color modes when stretched to different levels, contributing to expanding the possibilities of potential applications for postural monitoring in medical rehabilitation.