Indian Institute of Technology GuwahatiResearchers has developed a novel water repellent material that can be used for real-time monitoring of human movements. The material developed is flexible, non-stretchable and environmentally friendly that can detect low strains with high sensitivity.

Wearable motion sensors are used for physiological monitoring of human movement. These sensors are used for gait analysis, understanding human and machine interactions and monitoring patients during rehabilitation processes.  Such motion sensors are typically made of materials that convert the mechanical strain that arises from movement into electrical signals that can be detected.

To be used as a wearable motion sensor, the strain sensing material must be flexible, robust, and highly sensitive to both large and subtle movements. The Researchers team has developed such a material that is superior to existing strain sensors with respect to both sensitivity and durability. 

The research team was led by Uttam Manna, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Centre for Nanotechnology and School of Health Science and Technology, IIT Guwahati and Prof. Roy Paily, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Centre for Nanotechnology and School of Health Science & Technology, IIT Guwahati. 

The results of their novel and unprecedented work have recently been published in the reputed peer-reviewed journal Materials Horizons. Uttam Manna and Prof. Roy Paily co-authored the paper with Supriya Das, Rajan Singh, Avijit Das, Sudipta Bag from IIT Guwahati.