Aerogels are a focus of research in energy-saving materials due to their unique nanoporous structure. However, achieving aerogels with simultaneously high transparency, low thermal conductivity, and remarkable mechanical robustness remains a challenge. Herein, a highly transparent, low thermal conductivity, and mechanically robust silica aerogel is fabricated through sol-gel process combined with supercritical drying. By systematically optimizing the concentrations of methyltrimethoxysilane, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, urea, and acetic acid in solution, we obtained an aerogel film with transparency of 97.83 % in the visible spectrum, thermal conductivity of 0.0149 W·m^-1·K^-1, and maximum compressive strain of 27%. When applied as a sandwich material between double glass, it demonstrates significantly enhanced thermal insulation performance while maintaining transparency comparable to that of conventional glass. Furthermore, the silica aerogel film exhibits exceptional hydrophobicity due to the presence of methyl groups, which enhances its structural stability. Consequently, this high-performance silica aerogel film demonstrates strong potential for energy-saving windows, making it an ideal candidate for retrofitting existing buildings and integrating into emerging architectural glazing systems.

Flexible pressure sensor arrays have emerged as a key enabling technology in the era of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, offering real-time, distributed, and multidimensional sensing capabilities. The micro/nano-engineered sensor arrays, composed of numerous integrated sensing units, show tremendous potential in human-machine interactions. However, meeting the increasing demands for high-resolution, high-performance area sensing presents critical challenges, including the fabrication of high-density arrays, mitigation of signal crosstalk, and the integrated optimization of sensing performance. This paper briefly summarizes and reviews the existing research strategies of flexible sensor arrays, from high-density sensor array manufacturing technology, anti-crosstalk design of multi-pixel units, performance control methods for sensing units, to intelligent human-machine interaction applications. Finally, a future outlook is proposed in light of the current state to promote the wider application of sensing arrays in human-machine interactions.

Flexible wearable sensors that can intimately adhere to the human body for real-time monitoring of human activities and physiological signals have attracted great attention owing to their potential in personalized healthcare and human-machine interfaces. Gelatin-based biogels are promising materials in wearable sensors due to their good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and sustainability. However, conventional gelatin-based biogels are usually weak and brittle (tensile strength < 10 kPa and stretchability < 50%), and thus cannot be applied in flexible wearable devices. Therefore, further efforts are needed to engineer tough gelatin-based biogels that meet the demands of flexible wearable sensors. In this perspective, we summarize recent progress in designing tough gelatin-based biogels and their wide applications in wearable sensing devices, while highlighting potential future directions in this field.

In recent years, with the rapid advances in flexible electronic device technology and the demand for a wide range of applications, MXene has emerged as an ideal multifunctional 2D nanomaterial for next-generation flexible sensors. It is unique in that it combines metallic conductivity, tunable surface chemistry and mechanical flexibility. These properties allow MXene to exhibit superior performance compared to other 2D materials, including graphene, in the fabrication of flexible sensors. This review summarizes the recent research progress in the field of different modes of flexible MXene-based sensors, including single-mode sensors, dual-mode sensors, and multimode sensors. First, MXene-based flexible sensors for pressure, strain, temperature, humidity, gas, and photoelectricity are described in detail. Then, the research progress of MXene in the field of flexible dual-mode sensors is systematically described, the key performance parameters of multimode sensors are summarized, and the applications of MXene-based flexible sensors in various fields are described. Finally, the future trends of flexible MXene-based sensors and the challenges they face are discussed, aiming to provide useful insights for future wearable applications.

Electronic skin has increasingly diverse applications in health monitoring, disease diagnosis, rehabilitation therapy, and human-machine interaction. However, most electronic skin devices struggle to maintain stable performance and adhesion under complex conditions involving high body acceleration and sweat. To address these issues, we present a dynamic conformal electrode based on liquid metal, fabricated by coating the semi-liquid metal (SLM) with high conductivity of 9.0 × 10⁶ S/m and low fluidity onto polyborosiloxane (PBS) exhibiting frequency-responsive rheological properties. The gradual deformation of PBS enables SLM to compress into microscopic skin wrinkles while avoiding hair interference. This dynamic conformal electrode can withstand significant deformation exceeding 1,000%, while also increasing the skin contact area, leading to a lower skin contact impedance of 0.1 MΩ at 1,000 Hz and improved interfacial adhesion, maintaining robust skin adhesion for over 7 days. This study demonstrates the capability of the conformal electrode to conduct long-term monitoring of electrocardiogram, electromyogram, and electroencephalogram signals in areas with rough textures, large skin deformation, and dense hair, enabling continuous dynamic monitoring of human health information. The findings highlight its broad potential for applications in health detection, disease diagnosis, rehabilitation therapy, and human-machine interaction.

Core-shell structure and magnetic-dielectric coupling in functional composites are important factors for obtaining excellent electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption performance, but they also face challenges. In this study, magnetic FeCoNi and dielectric ZnIn₂S₄ were combined to form unique core-shell structured microspheres. The morphology characteristics, EM parameters, and absorption performance of FeCoNi@ZnIn₂S₄ composites with different annealing temperatures were investigated to reveal impedance matching and synergistic absorption mechanisms. Those results show that FeCoNi@ZnIn₂S₄-600 (FCNZ-600) has excellent EM wave absorption properties, with the minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of -52.4 dB at 1.9 mm and the efficient absorption bandwidth of 6.08 GHz at 1.53 mm, which achieves broadband absorption. Core-shell magnetic-dielectric design provides a new perspective in efficient EM wave absorption systems.

This paper presents a novel, cost-effective sensor platform based on Vision-based Deformation Perception (VBDeformP) for community oral health education. The system integrates a 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane soft structure with a rigid resin frame and an ArUco marker to encode interaction information, including the contact region and six-dimensional force and torque. By transforming force estimation into a marker-based pose tracking problem, the VBDeformP sensor achieves accurate and robust force/torque inference under both quasi-static and dynamic conditions, utilizing machine learning models. An adaptive image binarization algorithm extends reliable marker detection across a wide illumination range (10-5,000 lx), ensuring consistent performance of the vision system in realistic community teaching scenarios. Experimental validation involving 10 healthy participants per-forming standardized brushing tasks demonstrated that the sensor attains measurement accuracies comparable to a commercial ATI Axia80-M20 sensor, with mean absolute errors of 0.55 N (2.19% relative error) and 0.067 N·m (2.68% relative error) for quasi-static forces and torques, and 0.16 N (4.10% relative error) and 0.023 N·m (5.75% relative error) under dynamic conditions. Moreover, the system’s real-time brushing region classification algorithm achieved an overall accuracy of 98.12%, further underscoring its potential to provide immediate and personalized guidance on oral hygiene. Its low cost, rapid initialization, portability, and scalable fabrication render it a promising solution for enhancing oral health education in community settings.

Conductive ultra-soft hydrogel-based wearable sensors, despite featuring multifunctional adaptability, still face inherent mechanical weaknesses and inadequate directional stress discernment. To address this challenge, we herein rationally designed a helical twisted alginate/agar/carbon nanotube triple-network composite gel fiber through a low-temperature-assisted wet-spinning technique coupled with cation crosslinking. The resulting gel fibers exhibit exceptional mechanoelectrical synergy, achieving conductivity up to 3.8 S/m while sustaining thousandfold self-weight loads via synergistic polymer entanglement and coordination interactions. The implemented helical architecture demonstrates enhanced strain responsivity (56%-130%, gauge factor), rapid response kinetics (< 0.5 s), and rate-agnostic stability in twisted fibers, enabling 360° spatiotemporal perception through three orthogonally coupled mechanisms: torsion-activated interfacial contact expansion, spiral topology-optimized charge transfer, and stress-dissipative dynamic microcavity formation based on the one-dimensional intrinsic uniaxial deformation amplification of gel fibers under multi-directional stresses. Practical validations include four-phase table tennis swing biomechanics analysis, proof-of-concept for handwriting training and motion correction systems, and motion-encoded encrypted communications, establishing a fundamental mechanistic framework for directional angle sensing with applications in assessment of adolescents’ daily activities. Ultimately, this breakthrough stems from the harmonization of helix-driven anisotropic sensitivity and triple-network viscoelastic dissipation, effectively resolving the longstanding compromise between directional acuity and mechanical durability in hydrogel-based sensors.

In this paper, a load-adaptive continuum robot with accurate shape sensing and control capabilities through tendon tension modulation is presented. First, three shape memory alloy (SMA) springs actuate the bioinspired continuum robot to achieve 3D deformation. Second, the bending shape can be accurately estimated in real time using the tensions of the SMA springs based on the forward kinematics of a modified Cosserat model that considers friction between the tendons and disks. For a desired position, the required tensions of the SMA springs can be obtained using the inverse kinematics of the proposed model. Finally, a closed-loop control method is implemented to test the continuum robot’s shape control performance. Experiments demonstrate that the robot exhibits accurate tracking results for different complex trajectories, both with and without an external load at the end effector, based on the proposed model’s forward and inverse kinematics. In conclusion, SMA actuation combined with tension feedback control enables accurate load-bearing capacity, shape sensing, and position tracking, representing a promising approach for developing future design guidelines for continuum robots.

The increasing issue of electromagnetic pollution necessitates the development of high-efficiency microwave absorbing materials. Traditional composites present challenges due to temperature sensitivity, complicating impedance matching and loss capabilities across varying temperatures. Rather than concentrating on the micro-scale structures and components typical in traditional design strategies, mesoscopic metacomposites have garnered significant attention due to their capacity to enhance microwave absorption and impedance matching through a discrete distribution of subwavelength-scale functional units in the composites. This review focuses on the applications of mesoscopic metacomposites in improving microwave absorbing performance. The discrete arrangement of subwavelength units improves anti-reflection effects and provides significant intrinsic loss capacity, enabling strong attenuation and effective impedance matching. Additionally, mesoscopic metacomposites facilitate controlled reflection and scattering of electromagnetic waves by carefully designing conductivity, dimensions, and spatial configurations. This presents groundbreaking methods for the further enhancement of microwave absorption efficacy. This review aspires to illuminate the pathway toward the development of thin, lightweight, highly efficient microwave absorbing materials with broadband absorption capabilities.

Hydrogels, with their skin-like physicochemical properties, offer great potential as flexible electrodes for electrophysiological interfaces and high-quality biosignal acquisition in human-machine interaction systems. However, traditional hydrogel electrodes often face issues such as mechanical mismatch with skin, low electrical conductivity, and poor adhesion, which hinder stable biosignal acquisition with high signal-to-noise ratio. To address these challenges, optimizing conductivity, compliance, and adhesion is crucial. This perspective reviews recent advancements in hydrogel electrode optimization, materials design, interface engineering, human-machine interaction applications, and future directions for hydrogel-based biointerfaces.

Flexible smart actuators that produce mechanical output in response to external stimuli have numerous applications in robotics, electronics, and biomedical engineering. With high similarity to biological tissues, high water content, and good tissue adhesion, hydrogels present unique advantages in preparing soft actuators. The development of integrated building blocks further enhances the structural controllability and performance tunability of hydrogel-based actuators. While current research predominantly focuses on the types of environmental responses and multi-field applications for hydrogel actuators, the critical role of integrated building blocks remains relatively underexplored. This review summarizes anisotropic strategies and multifunctional applications for hydrogel actuators based on the selection of stimuli-responsive building blocks (SRBs). Firstly, the deformation mechanism of hydrogel actuators with different polymer matrices is briefly introduced, followed by an overview of the anisotropic strategies employed in hydrogel actuators based on SRBs. The preparation strategies and high actuation performance of hydrogel actuators are discussed from the perspectives of building block properties and anisotropic structures. Moreover, the multifunctional application prospects of SRBs-based hydrogel actuators in information encryption, self-sensing, and intelligent grasping are discussed. Finally, the design principles and current challenges of stimuli-responsive hydrogel actuators are emphasized, and an outlook on the future development of novel hydrogel actuators is presented.