Mechanical sensing is a key functionality in soft electronics intended for applications in health monitoring, human–machine interactions and soft robotics. Current methods typically use intricate networks of sensors specific to one type of deformation and one point in space, which limits their sensing capabilities. An alternative approach to distributed sensing is electrical reflectometry, but it is challenging to build the necessary transmission lines out of soft materials. Here, we report the scalable fabrication of microstructured elastomeric fibres that integrate tens of liquid metal conductors and have the length and cross-sectional integrity necessary to successfully apply time-domain reflectometry. Our soft transmission lines allow the detection of the mode, magnitude and position of multiple simultaneous pressing and stretching events. Furthermore, as a result of the dynamically responsive conductors, the pressure sensitivity is improved by a factor of 200 compared to rigid line probes. By integrating a single soft transmission line with a single interface port into a larger fabric, our technique can be used to create an electronic textile that can decipher convoluted mechanical stimulation.

机械感测是软电子产品的一项关键功能，旨在用于健康监测，人机交互和软机器人技术。当前的方法通常使用特定于一种变形和空间上某一点的传感器的复杂网络，这限制了它们的感测能力。分布式传感的另一种方法是电反射法，但是用软质材料构建必要的传输线是一项挑战。在这里，我们报告了微结构化弹性纤维的可扩展制造，该结构整合了数十种液态金属导体，并具有成功应用时域反射仪所需的长度和截面完整性。我们的软传输线允许检测多个同时按下和拉伸事件的模式，大小和位置。此外，由于采用了动态响应导体，与刚性线探针相比，压力灵敏度提高了200倍。通过将具有单个接口端口的单个软传输线集成到较大的织物中，我们的技术可用于创建可以解密复杂的机械刺激的电子纺织品。