Topology optimization of ionic organohydrogel tactile sensing for wearable authenticator

With the advancement of flexible ionic conductors, various wearable ionic conductor-based sensors have emerged. However, improving the sensitivity for specific targets and application scenarios remains a significant challenge. Here, a topology optimization strategy for organohydrogel tactile sensing was proposed. This study first prepared conductivity-tunable organohydrogels and investigated their sensing mechanisms. Using Arabic numerals as an example, this study then performs a topology optimization of the ionic tactile sensing structures based on handwriting probability distribution. A wearable identity authenticator was developed based on this structure, capable of recognizing personal characteristics, as well as handwriting speed and trajectory of users, enabling accurate recognition of handwritten digits for specific users with multi-encryption. Compared to traditional fully-covered sensing structures, the optimized sensing structure improved the accuracy of handwritten digit recognition by 107.91%. These findings provide a novel approach for optimizing the tactile sensing structures to adapt to various application scenarios.