Mechanically Compliant Flexible Sensors and Electronic Systems for Biomechanical Monitoring and Human–Machine Interfaces

Flexible sensors and soft electronic devices are reshaping biomechanical engineering by enabling conformal measurement of strain, pressure, temperature, and bioelectrical signals on moving, curved, and deformable surfaces. Compared with rigid instrumentation, mechanically compliant platforms can reduce motion artifacts, improve wearability, and support continuous monitoring in healthcare, sports, rehabilitation, and human–machine interaction. Rapid progress in functional nanomaterials, stretchable conductors, micro/nanostructured interfaces, additive manufacturing, and low-power wireless electronics has improved sensitivity, multimodal integration, and system-level performance. Nevertheless, translating laboratory prototypes into reliable biomechanical tools still requires advances in mechanical robustness, long-term skin compatibility, calibration, signal decoupling, scalable fabrication, and validation under realistic loading conditions. This Research Topic focuses on flexible sensing and electronic systems whose design, mechanics, and performance directly address biomechanical measurement and interaction.This Research Topic aims to identify design principles and engineering strategies that bridge high-performance flexible sensors with dependable biomechanical applications. It will address persistent challenges including the trade-off between sensitivity and operating range, hysteresis and drift under repeated deformation, cross-talk in multimodal sensing, interfacial adhesion, encapsulation, power supply, data acquisition, and reproducible manufacturing. Contributions are encouraged to connect material and structural innovations with quantitative mechanical characterization, signal processing, and application-level validation. Recent advances in nanocomposites, ionic conductors, liquid metals, self-healing materials, kirigami/origami structures, triboelectric or piezoelectric self-powered sensing, printed electronics, and machine-learning-assisted interpretation provide new routes toward robust systems. By integrating mechanics, materials, electronics, and biomedical evaluation, the collection seeks to establish performance benchmarks and accelerate translation from flexible-device concepts to practical tools for motion analysis, physiological monitoring, rehabilitation, soft robotics, and intuitive human–machine interfaces.This Research Topic welcomes:- Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Perspective, and Methods articles on flexible and stretchable strain, pressure, tactile, and multimodal sensors; - wearable or epidermal electronics for motion, gait, and physiological monitoring; - electronic skins and sensorized interfaces for prosthetics, rehabilitation devices, and soft robots; - self-powered sensing and energy-autonomous flexible systems; - functional materials, micro/nanostructures, and mechanics-guided device design; - scalable printing, patterning, packaging, and integration; - low-power circuits, wireless communication, and intelligent signal processing; - reliability, calibration, biocompatibility, and standardized performance evaluation; - validation in realistic biomechanical or clinical-use scenarios. Studies should demonstrate a clear connection between device design and biomechanical function. Purely material-synthesis reports without sensor-level characterization or application evidence are outside the intended scope. Topic editors: Qiao Xiaojun, Wen Lv, Hongcheng Xu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86509/mechanically-compliant-flexible-sensors-and-electronic-systems-for-biomechanical-monitoring-and-human-machine-interfaces