Biocompatible, biodegradable, and high-performance flexible pressure sensors for severity grading and rehabilitation assessment in Parkinson's disease management

Abstract

As global aging becomes an increasingly pressing issue, the incidence and prevalence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) continue to rise. Wearable devices, particularly flexible pressure sensors (FPSs), possess considerable potential in facilitating PD rehabilitation. However, to provide effective support for PD patients, FPSs must meet higher and more comprehensive standards regarding material composition, structural design, and performance metrics. This study presents a biocompatible, biodegradable, and high-performance ionic capacitive FPS. The sensor features conductive silver paste-coated starch gel electrodes with fingerprint-like microstructures, and employs an electrospun ionic liquid (IL)-doped dextran nanofiber membrane as the dielectric layer. Experimental results indicate that this sensor exhibits a high sensitivity of 13.7 kPa⁻¹ within a pressure range of 0–2 kPa, with a response/recovery time of 22/15 ms, a detection limit as low as 10 Pa, and excellent durability, sustaining performance over 10,000 cycles. Moreover, the sensor demonstrates outstanding biocompatibility (99 % cell viability) and biodegradability (fully degrading within 36 hours). Combined the sensor with convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm and an embedded system, a PD severity grading and rehabilitation assessment system was developed, achieving accuracy of over 95 %. This system can provide personalized treatment plans for PD patients, advancing health monitoring and rehabilitation for the elderly, and holds promising applications in the future healthcare sector.