Issue |
Natl Sci Open
Volume 4, Number 2, 2025
Special Topic: Flexible Electronics and Micro/Nanomanufacturing
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 20240046 | |
Number of page(s) | 28 | |
Section | Engineering | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1360/nso/20240046 | |
Published online | 18 December 2024 |
REVIEW
Recent advances in flexible flow sensors and applications
State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
* Corresponding author (email: xukc@zju.edu.cn)
Received:
30
August
2024
Revised:
18
November
2024
Accepted:
4
December
2024
Drawing inspiration from natural creatures that utilize flow fluctuations to evade predators and track prey, our human beings harness insights into flow dynamics through the development of flow sensors. The past few decades have witnessed a significant development in such sensors, evolving from bulky catheters designed for industrial settings to miniaturized, versatile and flexible devices tailored for wearable scenarios. This work presents a comprehensive overview of recent advances in flexible and thin-film-based flow sensors. First, the primary working mechanisms of these sensors, including thermal, piezoresistive, piezoelectric, and acoustic principles, are introduced, highlighting their challenges and alternative solutions. Subsequently, applications are categorized and demonstrated based on the type of flow including airflow, blood flow, breath, and water flow. Finally, future trends in flexible flow sensors are explored, indicating their pivotal roles in wide research and industry fields such as underwater robotics, human-machine interfaces, and bioelectronics.
Key words: flow sensors / flexible electronics / bio-inspired design / hybrid fabrications
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Science Press and EDP Sciences.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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