Flexible pressure sensors that can maintain their pressure sensing ability with arbitrary deformation play an essential role in a wide range of applications, such as aerospace, prosthetics, robotics, healthcare, human–machine interfaces, and electronic skin. Flexible pressure sensors with diverse conversion principles and structural designs have been extensively studied. At present, with the development of 5G and the Internet of Things, there is a huge demand for flexible pressure sensor arrays with high resolution and sensitivity. Herein, we present a brief description of the present flexible pressure sensor arrays with different transduction mechanisms from design to fabrication. Next, we discuss the latest progress of flexible pressure sensor arrays for applications in human–machine interfaces, healthcare, and aerospace. These arrays can monitor the spatial pressure and map the trajectory with high resolution and rapid response beyond human perception. Finally, the outlook of the future and the existing problems of pressure sensor arrays are presented.

Volumetric capacitance, rate capability and cycling life performance are extremely important metrics for supercapacitors with limited space. Unfortunately, the volumetric performance is relatively inferior for most of the supercapacitors because of their low packing density. Herein, we developed a novel facile strategy to prepare a binder-free and free-standing N-doped holey graphene/PANI slice (HNHG–PANI), which not only possesses a high packing density (1.45 g cm⁻³) but also still maintains a highly interconnected pore connectivity channel for efficient ion transport without compromising electrochemical energy storage. In addition, the nanopores in N-doped holey graphene can immensely accelerate the ion transmission across the entire surface area. The HNHG–PANI material electrode can deliver ultrahigh volumetric capacitance (1058 F cm⁻³ at 0.5 A g⁻¹), excellent rate performance and long-term cycling stability. Meanwhile, the symmetrical supercapacitor can achieve a high volumetric energy density of 26.5 W h L⁻¹ at an impressive volumetric power density of 175.3 W L⁻¹. Such a densely packed free-standing N-doped holey graphene/PANI slice is an extraordinary promising candidate for compact and miniaturized energy storage equipment in the future. Furthermore, the novel simple strategy method of this paper could be used to synthesize other similar materials for different applications.

Flexible pressure sensors have garnered much attention recently owing to their prospective applications in fields such as structural health monitoring. Capacitive pressure sensors have been extensively researched due to their exceptional features, such as a simple structure, strong repeatability, minimal loss and temperature independence. Inspired by the skin epidermis, we report a high-sensitivity flexible capacitive pressure sensor with a broad detection range comprising a bioinspired spinosum dielectric layer. Using an abrasive paper template, the bioinspired spinosum was fabricated using carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane (CNT/PDMS) composites. It was observed that nanocomposites comprising 1 wt% CNTs had excellent sensing properties. These capacitive pressure sensors allowed them to function at a wider pressure range (~500 kPa) while maintaining sensitivity (0.25 kPa⁻¹) in the range of 0–50 kPa, a quick response time of approximately 20 ms and a high stability even after 10,000 loading–unloading cycles. Finally, a capacitive pressure sensor array was created to detect the deformation of tires, which provides a fresh approach to achieving intelligent tires.