Fibre-based single-wire keyboard -the integration of a flexible tactile sensor into e-textiles

Abstract

A flexible textile keyboard, using carbon nanotube (CNT) filled polypropylene (PP) composite fibres, is introduced. The identification of input information is achieved by reading the effective resistance of the conductive composite fibre. By using a single wire, a complex matrix is avoided and the interface between textiles and processing electronics is reduced to a minimum. LabVIEW has been used as the output display of the keyboard indicator for testing. This keyboard is fully flexible and washable, which provides opportunities for its integration with etextiles. © AUTEX.