Abstract: A method is developed for the measurement of wall shear stress vector fields over planar surface using the shear-sensitive liquid crystal (SSLC) coating technique. The method is based on a multiple-view method and uses six synchronized digital cameras to record the color change in the SSLC coating from different circumferential view angles, which therefore can reduce the noises when compared to the use of only a single camera and has the potential to measure instantaneous wall shear stress distribution in unsteady flow. The method is applied to the measurement of wall shear stress vector fields over flat plate around a thin cylinder to demonstrate its effectiveness. Experimental results show that:(1) The SSLC coating can qualitatively visualize wall shear stresses via color changes; (2) Wall shear vector field around the thin cylinder can be obtained in high resolution by analysing the coating color changes that are recorded from different circumferential view angles, and the flow structures around the thin cylinder are captured in detail; (3) A single SSLC coating can be used to measure wall shear stress vector fields under different flow conditions.