Knitted Pressure Sensor

By Alexandra Bachmayer

This semi-wearable project was a test created on a knitting machine at ETC specifically to fit the Loomia Single Soft Pressure Sensor. The sensor material is soft and buttery and feels lovely next to skin. It’s extremely pliable and low-profile and could easily be integrated into wearable projects. The aesthetic is unique and defined, so I would need to have a use-case in mind if I were to keep them visible on a project (though, it is a sleek and simple aesthetic).

If I were to recreate this or create it in full, I would design the pocket to be a little wider and a bit longer to give it a bit more wiggle room. You’re limited by the size and range offered by the basic single pressure sensor, although it’s a comfortable size for a finger. However, Loomia can customize the shape/size of their sensors and modify sensitivity to meet project requirements or client needs. This is a nice option if you are working on a large project and have funding for custom sensors in a specific size with a specific sensitivity.

I tend to work with DIY pressure sensors more frequently than bought ones, and I’m not used to having the baseline ‘0’ be so stable, which is a treat. With a 1 kΩ resistor, I was able to get an analogue reading range from ~0–475 when I was pressing about as hard as I could. This is before working with the map() function to expand the range. Light touch barely registered, which could be either good or bad thing depending on what you’re trying to achieve. The pressure sensor is so small and soft. It was super comfortable and wearable within my strange little half fingerless glove. It works well with extra padding between the finger and pressure sensor as well, and you still get a decent range to work with.