Patent ID: 8207446

Claim:
An integrated sensor assembly comprising: an interconnecting member; at least one sensor member comprising a sensor that is extended from and electrically interconnected with the interconnecting member at any location along the interconnecting member; and a polymer and a core element that is substantially non-metallic, wherein the core element has a continuous length which forms a part of the at least one sensor member and the interconnecting member, and extends continuously from the at least one sensor member through the interconnecting member, and the interconnecting member is configured to transmit a signal from the sensor of the at least one sensor member along the continuous length of the core to a signal processing device, wherein each of the at least one sensor member and the interconnecting member comprises a structure comprising a jacket layer made of the polymer and surrounding the core element, wherein the jacket layer of the sensor is discontinuous with the jacket layer of the interconnecting member wherein the core element comprises a single strand filament or a multi-stranded filament, wherein each strand comprises one of a fiber, a wire, a needle, a thread, a yarn, and a fabric; and wherein said filament further comprises one or more of a nanotube, nanowire, nanoscale plate, nanorod, nanofiber, or other nanostruture that has at least one dimension of about 100 nm or less.