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[Display omitted] • 1D/2D hybrid carbon film and PDMS were developed as strain-temperature sensor. • CNTs in hybrid film served as "bridges" to widen the strain sensing range. • The prestrain-induced microcracks strategy improved the temperature sensitivity. • The sensor can be used for monitoring various human motions. • The sensor can perceive body or environmental temperature for thermal management. E-skin that can mimic the complex functions of human skin has attracted considerable interest in health monitoring and medical diagnosis. However, the accurate and reliable detection of multiple external stimuli using a sole sensing component remains challenging. Herein, we describe a flexible strain-temperature sensor fabricated by employing conductive 1D multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), 2D reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and a flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate to construct a sandwich structure. Consequently, the flexible MWCNTs@RGO hybrid film with optimized conductivity exhibits a high gauge factor (GF = 1888) at a strain up to 40 %, prominent long-term durability (8000 cycles at 25 % strain), low strain detection (0.05 %) and rapid response (57 ms). The significantly enhanced performance is attributed to the synergy of tubular MWCNTs and layered RGO, as revealed by finite element analysis. Additionally, the hybrid film sensor exhibits temperature-sensing ability with a typical negative temperature coefficient of resistance and delivers an improved sensitivity upon thermal stimulus via prestrain-induced microcracks and a thermal expansion strategy. Owing to its excellent sensing properties, it can not only detect human motions in various situations but also be adopted as a temperature warning/cooling system, supporting its feasibility for use by patients lacking temperature perception and bringing convenience to daily life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CB/CNT hybrids and elastic TPU are combined to assemble resistive strain sensor. • The hierarchical conductive network endows the sensor with desirable sensing capabilities. • CB/CNT@TPU strain sensor shows great application in personalized health monitoring. • Multiple sensors are integrated for robotic arm control by capturing human motions. Flexible strain sensors are strongly demanded in fields of personal healthcare monitoring and human–machine interface, as they can accurately perceive external action to produce electrical output signals. Aiming at the existing problems, such as the balanced sensitivity and sensing range, durability as well as expanded application, this paper proposes a flexible strain sensor prepared based on electrospun thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) membrane, followed by anchoring mixed conductive materials (carbon black (CB)/carbon nanotubes (CNT)) on its surface via an effective ultrasonic-assisted method. The resulting CB/CNT@TPU strain sensor delivers a desirable integration of sensing performances: good sensitivity, wide work range, fast response speed (<150 ms) and reliable cyclic stability (5000 cycles). Ascribed to the sensing behavior and additional breathability, strain sensor can be applied well to monitor human health, including human joints movements (fingers and wrists) and physiological signals (pulse and laryngeal vibration recognition). Finally, a multiaxial robotic arm control system is constructed, which provides a feasible strategy for intelligent robotic arms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]