Post by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

🚀 A new step forward for battery-free wearable sensing! KAIST researchers have developed a next-generation self-powered wearable sensor that can stretch up to an incredible 668% while maintaining stable electrical signals. Led by Professor Miso Kim from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the research team created a highly stretchable piezoelectric fiber sensor designed to overcome one of the biggest challenges in wearable electronics: maintaining performance under repeated stretching, bending, pressing, and impact. 🧵 The team introduced a hierarchical resilient design that strengthens the sensor from the material level to the electrode interface and overall structure. Key innovations include: 🌀 Coil and knot structures that allow extreme stretchability 🔗 Stable electrode–piezoelectric interfaces that prevent signal degradation 🧩 Elastic microparticles inside nanofibers that help the sensor recover its shape after repeated deformation 🤖 AI-based signal analysis to distinguish motions such as pressing, bending, and stretching The result? A lightweight, flexible, battery-free sensor that can operate reliably even in highly dynamic environments. 💡 This technology could open new possibilities for long-term wearable medical devices that monitor heart rate, respiration, joint movement, and muscle activity — as well as electronic skins, digital healthcare devices, and sensory systems for soft robots. This work was published in ACS Nano on March 10, 2026. Paper: Mechanically and Functionally Resilient Piezoelectric Fiber Coils and Knots for Reliable Self-Powered Sensing  #KAIST #WearableTechnology #SelfPoweredSensor #Piezoelectric #DigitalHealthcare #ElectronicSkin #SoftRobotics #MaterialsScience #ACS Nano #Innovation