Bringing a human touch to wearable tech with skin-like sensors

Skin-like sensors bring a human touch to wearable tech

Article Highlights

Human skin can stretch about 50 per cent, but our AISkin can stretch up to 400 per cent of its length without breaking. (Video: Daria Perevezentsev)

Researchers have developed a super-stretchy, transparent and self-powering sensor that records the complex sensations of human skin
Dubbed artificial ionic skin — or AISkin for short — the researchers believe the innovative properties of AISkin could lead to future advancements in wearable electronics, personal health care and robotics.
“Since it’s hydrogel, it’s inexpensive and biocompatible — you can put it on the skin without any toxic effects. It’s also very adhesive, and it doesn’t fall off, so there are so many avenues for this material,”
When the AISkin is subjected to strain, humidity or changes in temperature, it generates controlled ion movements across the sensing junction, which can be measured as electrical signals such as voltage or current.
“If you look at human skin, how we sense heat or pressure, our neural cells transmit information through ions — it’s really not so different from our artificial skin,” says Liu.
“Our human skin can stretch about 50 per cent, but our AISkin can stretch up to 400 per cent of its length without breaking,”
Another application is in soft robotics — flexible bots made completely out of polymers. An example is soft robotic grippers used in factories to handle delicate objects such as light bulbs or food.
“If we further advance this research, this could be something we put on like a ‘smart bandage,’” says Liu. “Wound healing requires breathability, moisture balance – ionic skin feels like the natural next step.”

The Complete Story: Skin-like sensors bring a human touch to wearable tech

University of Toronto

Go deeper with Bing News on:

Self-powering sensor

Op-Ed: Self-aware metamaterials major advances and cookie-cutter coverage
on June 6, 2021 at 10:11 pm
Self-aware materials contain sensors and can detect changes in their surrounds. They’re also self-powering. The University of Pittsburgh’s Intelligent Structural Monitoring and Response ...
Revolutionary Self-Aware Materials Build the Foundation for Living Structures
on June 3, 2021 at 9:55 pm
New research in Nano Energy introduces revolutionary scalable material that senses and powers itself. From the biggest bridges to the smallest medical implants, sensors are everywhere, and for good re ...
Skin-Like Sensors Bring Human Touch to Wearables
on June 3, 2021 at 4:59 pm
(Image source: Daria Perevezentsev) Scientists at the University of Toronto have gone one step further with this endeavor and developed a flexible, transparent, and self-powering sensor system that ...
Revolutionary material senses and powers itself, may lead to new generation of living structures
on June 1, 2021 at 10:39 pm
The research, recently published in Nano Energy, describes a new metamaterial system that acts as its own sensor ... to build structurally-sound self-powering space habitats using only indigenous ...
Self-aware materials build the foundation for living structures
on June 1, 2021 at 2:08 pm
The research, recently published in Nano Energy ("Multifunctional meta-tribomaterial nanogenerators for energy harvesting and active sensing"), describes a new metamaterial system that acts as its own ...

Go deeper with Google Headlines on:

Self-powering sensor

Go deeper with Bing News on:

Artificial ionic skin

Electronic skin could outperform its human counterpart
on June 2, 2021 at 5:00 pm
So, we wondered how we could make an artificial material that could mimic the water-resistant nature of jellyfish and yet also be touch-sensitive." The self-healing skin works by suspending a ...
Self-Healing Material Inspired by X-Men’s Wolverine
on June 1, 2021 at 5:00 pm
That's because the ionic conductor for artificial muscle could be easily ... “One particular application we are very interested in includes sensing or self-healing artificial skin.” Research also will ...
Updated: All the Beauty M&A Deals of 2021
on May 14, 2021 at 8:01 am
The site sells makeup, skin care, hair care, fragrance and beauty tools. Cherry Pick AI has been acquired by 100.co, an artificial intelligence business. Cherry Pick’s platform analyzes images ...
Scaling down Ionic Transistors to the ultimate limit
on May 11, 2021 at 5:01 pm
However, it remains a grand challenge to date to produce artificial structures to mimic ... "Scaling down Ionic Transistors to the ultimate limit." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 May 2021.
Updated: All the Beauty M&A Deals of 2021
on February 25, 2021 at 1:42 pm
The site sells makeup, skin care, hair care, fragrance and beauty tools. Cherry Pick AI has been acquired by 100.co, an artificial intelligence business. Cherry Pick’s platform analyzes images and ...