Screen‐Printed Flexible Piezoelectric Force Sensor Array with Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Flexible force sensor arrays have gained significant interest in recent years for healthcare applications, particularly with the rising prevalence of wearable devices. However, several challenges must be overcome before their widespread adoption. This study presents a flexible piezoelectric array tailored for low frequency applications, such as tactile sensing and cardiovascular monitoring. The proposed array is fabricated using a fast and cost‐effective screen‐printing process integrating flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Its structure is intentionally designed to accurately measure forces across complex surfaces, with miniaturized interface electronics capable of processing up to 128 piezoelectric signals simultaneously. By dividing the device into two distinct sections, the design of the EMI shielding strikes a balance between flexibility and effectiveness. The impact on the electromechanical performance is minimal, with a slight decrease in sensitivity of only 25%, while the benefits to signal quality are significant. Notably, measurement noise is eliminated up to 10 kHz, well above the relevant frequency ranges for the targeted applications. Other electromechanical couplings such as triboelectricity and flexoelectricity are also effectively mitigated. The limitations of this study are discussed, and a novel sensor structure is proposed as a perspective, offering exceptional performance with a sensitivity in compression of 700 pC N ⁻¹ .