Topic: Wearable and IoT Sensors as Human-machine Interfaces

With the substantial development of the Internet of things (IoT) and communication technology, human-machine interfaces (HMIs) have evolved beyond smartphones and computer peripherals to more intuitive interfaces that detect physiological activities directly, such as voice and facial recognition, gestures and body movements, etc. Correspondingly, they can provide users with a more instinctive interaction with computers or intelligent robots aiming at various applications, such as healthcare, industrial automation, smart home, virtual reality (VR) game control, etc. Current commercial HMIs include non-wearable solutions based on voice/vision recognition and wearable devices mainly utilizing inertial measurement units (IMUs). In the meantime, we have witnessed the flourishing of intrinsically flexible/stretchable HMIs providing diversified routes of human-machine interactions. Their excellent mechanical properties give rise to irreplaceable conformability and comfortability for the users and enable intimate detection of slight motions, vital signs, and other physiological signals, which may further expand the functionalities and usage scenarios of the HMIs as never before. Furthermore, the artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) as a combination of AI and IoT technology has shown great promise in HMIs. When multi-modal sensory data collected by IoT sensors are analyzed via advanced AI technology, the resulting intelligent HMI system and applications can achieve more complex and holistic analysis than the traditional methodologies.

This Special Issue covers recent progress in the IoT sensors and flexible/stretchable sensors for HMI applications, with sensing mechanisms including but not limited to piezoresistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, triboelectric, etc. Multiple aspects of the progress will be discussed, such as novel materials and structures, new system architectures and applications, advanced data analytics, creative features, etc. It could be envisioned that the way we interact with the digital world and machines will transform dramatically in the foreseeable future in light of the rapid advances in wearable and IoT sensors.

31 Mar 2024