Anisotropic flexible pressure/strain sensors: Recent advances, fabrication techniques, and future prospects

Anisotropic flexible pressure/strain sensors are widely used in medical testing, wearable devices, human–machine interfaces, and robotic electronic skin due to their high flexibility and integrability. These sensors can distinguish and decouple multi-dimensional forces and accurately detect physical stimuli such as positive pressure, bending, stretching and twisting, showing great potential in a variety of complex scenarios. Therefore, the design and optimization of anisotropic flexible pressure/strain sensors have become a promising research hotspot. This paper reviews recent research progress on anisotropic flexible pressure/strain sensors, introducing their classification and principles, and summarizing the current fabrication techniques. Furthermore, we highlight their emerging applications in medical testing, wearables, human–machine interfaces and robotic e-skins. Finally, we thoroughly explore the existing challenges and future developments of anisotropic flexible pressure/strain sensors to achieve a more diverse variety of real-world applications. This review aims to inspire further innovation in anisotropic flexible pressure/strain sensors within the field of flexible electronics and encourage their application in more complex multidimensional force detection scenarios.