Wearable Bluetooth Interface for Flexible Piezoelectric Sensors

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensors are made of high-quality polymer that allows them to be extremely flexible when manufactured as thin sheets. Moreover, this low-density polymer exhibits piezoelectric properties, meaning it generates an electric charge in response to mechanical stress. Taken together, the flexibility and piezoelectric properties of PVDF sensors make them a promising solution for thin, lightweight wearable sensors that can be placed directly on the skin to monitor physiological activity. In this study, we established the viability of using a commercial PVDF sensor to detect physiological signals, such as arterial pulse. We integrated the PVDF sensor with a wireless Bluetooth low energy module to stream its voltage signal to a phone, resulting in a wearable sensor system for continuous data acquisition.