Toward Long‐Term Reliable Human‐Machine Interaction: A Flexible, Breathable, and Self‐Powered Pressure Sensor System With Firefighting Validation

ABSTRACT To overcome the continuous power problem for wearable applications, the self‐powered sensors have attracted much attention recently. The traditional piezoelectric and triboelectric sensors can only generate signals under dynamic force. Herein, a zinc–iodine based potentiometric sensor is proposed for simultaneous and dynamic force detection. The proposed sensor is based on a multilayer architecture consisting of a breathable nonwoven fabric acting as the substrate, a Zn‐plated laser‐induced graphene (LIG) anode, a LIG cathode coated with an iodine‐based composite ink, and a polyvinyl alcohol/zinc chloride hydrogel serving as the electrolyte. Such a design increases the open circuit voltage to 1.31 V, and provides stable sensing over an extended pressure range from 4 to 256 kPa. The fabricated sensor exhibits a rapid response time of 72 ms, excellent cycling stability (>98% retention after 5000 cycles), and superior wearing comfort. A gesture‐recognition glove integrated with five sensing units was developed and allowed for the correct recognition of gestures and wirelessly controlling a fire detection smart car that is equipped with temperature/gas sensors and camera, enabling real‐time remote monitoring in a complex environment. This work provides an innovative strategy for self‐powered and highly comfortable interfaces in emergency scenarios.