Design and Characterization of Cross-Bar Pressure Sensors for High-Resolution Force Mapping

This letter reports the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a flexible cross-bar pressure sensor array for real-time high-resolution force mapping, with a primary application in pressure monitoring. Traditional flexible pressure sensors are limited by low spatial resolution and wiring complexity, hindering their use in detailed biomechanical analysis. Here, we introduce a novel plain-weave cross-bar structure, in which copper wire electrodes are interlaced with multilayer Velostat sheets. The sensor array is integrated with an ESP32 microcontroller and a multiplexer to achieve scalable data acquisition and wireless transmission. Calibration tests demonstrate that the sensor exhibits high sensitivity (up to 0.85 kPa−1) in the low-pressure regime (0–2.5 kPa), and reliable response for dynamic foot pressure mapping during walking. The system enables real-time visualization and mapping of pressure distribution across a 6 × 6 array, providing rich data for gait and rehabilitation monitoring. This design improves electrode-material contact uniformity, and reduces noise compared to conventional stacked cross-bar configurations. The combination of a low-cost fabrication approach with the novel plain-weave architecture establishes the key novelty of this work, offering a scalable and customizable platform for wearable biomechanics and health monitoring.