Shape sensing with a smart elastic textile band containing pre-strained FBG sensors

Abstract

This paper reports on the development of a smart elastic textile band containing pre-strained fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) that was specifically designed with the ambition to dynamically measure the position of the backbone. To this aim, the textile band is 700 mm long and 60 mm wide. A piece of standard single-mode optical fiber, in which four fiber Bragg gratings were inscribed, is sewn on the band. Each FBG is glued on a 3D-printed pad in a pre-strained way, allowing the detection of FBG compression in addition to elongation. Measurements were performed on this sensing elastic band and the resulting sensitivity is a Bragg wavelength shift of 12 pm per mm of textile elongation. Validation tests were also carried out to highlight the sensitivity to compression and to show that the sensing system is capable of repeatability in a dynamic environment.