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Flex Sensor

A flex sensor is a low-cost sensor that measures bending or deflection by changing resistance. It became popular in gaming devices in the 90s and is now used in applications like joint movement detection, door sensors, and robotics. The sensor consists of a resin substrate with conductive ink that increases in resistance when bent, allowing the amount of bending to be determined by measuring resistance.

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35 views6 pages

Flex Sensor

A flex sensor is a low-cost sensor that measures bending or deflection by changing resistance. It became popular in gaming devices in the 90s and is now used in applications like joint movement detection, door sensors, and robotics. The sensor consists of a resin substrate with conductive ink that increases in resistance when bent, allowing the amount of bending to be determined by measuring resistance.

Uploaded by

sandyofficial.0305
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Flex Sensor

A flex sensor or bend sensor is a low-cost and easy-to-use sensor specifically designed
to measure the amount of deflection or bending.

It became popular in the 90s due to its use in the Nintendo Power Glove as a gaming
interface. Since then people have been using it as a goniometer to determine joint
movement, a door sensor, a bumper switch for wall detection or a pressure sensor on
robotic grippers.

Flex Sensor Overview


A flex sensor is basically a variable resistor that varies in resistance upon bending.
Since the resistance is directly proportional to the amount of bending, it is often called
a Flexible Potentiometer.

Flex sensors are generally available in two sizes: one is 2.2″ (5.588cm) long and
another is 4.5″ (11.43cm) long.
Construction

A flex sensor consists of a phenolic resin substrate with conductive ink deposited. A
segmented conductor is placed on top to form a flexible potentiometer in which
resistance changes upon deflection.
Directions to Use

Flex sensors are designed to flex in only one direction – away from ink (as shown in
the figure). Bending the sensor in another direction may damage it.

Also take care not to bend the sensor close to the base, because the bottom of the
sensor (where the pins are crimped on) is very fragile and can break when bent over.

How Flex Sensor Works?


The conductive ink printed on the sensor acts as a resistor. When the sensor is straight,
this resistance is about 25k.
When the sensor is bent, conductive layer is stretched, resulting in reduced cross
section (imagine stretching a rubber band). This reduced cross section results in an
increased resistance. At 90° angle, this resistance is about 100KΩ.

When the sensor is straightened again, the resistance returns to its original value. By
measuring the resistance, you can determine how much the sensor is bent.

Reading a Flex Sensor


The easiest way to read the flex sensor is to connect it with a fixed value resistor
(usually 47kΩ) to create a voltage divider. To do this you connect one end of the
sensor to Power and the other to a pull-down resistor. Then the point between the
fixed value pull-down resistor and the flex sensor is connected to the ADC input of an
Arduino.

This way you can create a variable voltage output, which can be read by a Arduino’s
ADC input.
Note that the output voltage you measure is the voltage drop across the pull-down
resistor, not across the flex sensor.

The output of the voltage divider configuration is described by the equation:

In the shown configuration, the output voltage decreases with increasing bend radius.

For example, with 5V supply and 47K pull-down resistor, when the sensor is flat (0°),
the resistance is relatively low (around 25kΩ). This results in the following output
voltage:

When flexed all the way (90°), the resistance rises to 100KΩ. This results in the
following output voltage:

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