New pressure sensors for many applications

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have proposed new technology and built a variable-color sensor based on stress , which has wide applications ranging from car design and smartphone to Gloves for basketball players.

The essence of this new technology is that engineers have linked gold nanoparticles to polymer films. When subjected to stress, deformation material causes the nanoparticles to expand, the distance between the particles is widened, changing the mode of action of the nanoparticles to light.

When gold nanoparticles are attached to each other they are green, but when under pressure, they turn red, which is very recognizable.

There are now many electronic sensors for measuring tension, but are bulky and difficult to use. For example, it is difficult to determine the force, if the contact surface is not flat and even. New sensors can be placed on surfaces so light scatters across different areas, so it is easy to express the force distribution on the contact surface.