
via Phys.org
A new type of energy-generating synthetic skin could create more affordable prosthetic limbs and robots capable of mimicking the sense of touch, scientists say.
In an early-view paper published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Robotics, researchers from the University of Glasgow describe how a robotic hand wrapped in their flexible solar skin is capable of interacting with objects without using dedicated and expensive touch sensors.

Instead, the skin puts the array of miniaturised solar cells integrated on its soft polymer surface to a clever dual use. The cells generate enough energy to power the micro-actuators which control the hand’s movements, but they also provide the hand with its unique sense of ‘touch’ by measuring the variations in the solar cells’ output.
As objects get closer to the surface of a cell, they reduce the amount of light which reaches it. The amount of power the cell generates drops as the light gets dimmer, eventually reaching zero when an object touches and covers it. By making clever interpretations of the levels of power produced in each cell, the skin is capable of detecting the shape of an incoming object.
A second set of simple LEDs, integrated between the solar cells in the skin, transmit infra-red light towards objects. By measuring the time the light takes to reflect from the object, the skin can sense the distance between the object and the hand.
Combining the information collected from the solar cells and LEDs allows the skin’s processor to deduce an object’s proximity, location, and edges, replicating many of the parameters measured by more traditional touch sensors. Together, the data allows the hand to grasp objects like rubber balls placed in front of it.
It’s the latest development in electronic skin from the University of Glasgow’s Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) Group, led by Professor Ravinder Dahiya.
Professor Dahiya, of the University’s James Watt School of Engineering, said: “Touch-sensitive electronic skin has found numerous experimental applications in prosthetics and robotics in recent years, but our project is the first energy-generating e-skin capable of offering touch feedback without using dedicated touch sensors.
“That lack of sensors means the skin requires no conventional power source to work, unlike other equivalent devices which include touch sensors. In fact, the skin itself is the source of energy, capable of powering the hand and devices attached to it. The generated power can be stored in devices such as flexible supercapacitors we’ve developed to work alongside the skin, so it doesn’t have to be constantly exposed to the sun in order to work.
“It’s one step closer to a completely self-powered prosthetic wrapped in flexible skin made from relatively inexpensive components. The sensing capabilities built into the skin could even lead to skin that can ‘see’ – further refinements could help the skin identify approaching objects even before they make contact.”
“We’ve also experimented with adding the hand to the end of a robot arm, similar to the ones found in places like car manufacturing facilities. The skin’s sensors are capable of stopping the arm’s motion when it senses an unexpected object, which we believe could help prevent future industrial accidents.”
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Synthetic skin
- This Incredible Artificial Intelligence (AI) IPO Stock Just Became a Bargain, and Wall Street Is Ignoring It
Oddity uses artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate individual customer needs in the beauty industry and recommend products accordingly. It draws data from its more than 40 million customers and over ...
- Tula’s Cyber Monday Deals Include Beauty Essentials For Every Skin Type—Up To 40% Off
These are the best-sellers worth snapping up before the sale ends.
- How animals get their skin patterns is a matter of physics
Our work suggests that combining the conditions that form Turing patterns with diffusiophoresis could also form the basis of artificial skin patches. Just like adaptive skin patterns in animals, when ...
- Artificial Intelligence: Canada’s future of everything
Artificial Intelligence is on the brink of revolutionizing virtually every facet of human existence and Canada is on the leading edge, from healthcare and education to airlines and entertainment. The ...
- Pierre Fabre Laboratories Collaborates With Chowis Company to Analyze Skin, Hair, and Scalp With AI Diagnostic Solutions
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / ACCESSWIRE / November 24, 2023 / Chowis Company ("Chowis"), a specialist in skin, hair and scalp diagnostic solutions, has teamed up with global Pierre Fabre Laboratories to ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Synthetic skin
[google_news title=”” keyword=”synthetic skin” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Artificial skin
- How an unbalanced skin microbiome can make you itch
The itchiness that comes with some annoying dermatological conditions might be caused by certain microbes on skin. In a study published November 22 in the journal Cell, a team of scientists found that ...
- Global Regenerative Artificial Skin Industry Surge to US$ 5,615.5 Million by 2032 at a Remarkable 9.9% CAGR | FMI
The Global Regenerative Artificial Skin Industry is expected to be valued at US$ 2,185.5 Million in 2022. This market is expanding because hospitals and clinics are increasingly in need of both ...
- News tagged with artificial skin
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly accurate in detecting skin cancer, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ...
- French translation of 'artificial skin'
Because of these challenges, researchers have long been looking for methods of creating artificial skin grafts, either from biological or synthetic materials. Scientists have created a new kind of ...
- Benefits Of Artificial Skin
Imagine requiring artificial skin subsequently to being in an accident. Artificial skin is a replacement for human skin. It functions as artificial scaffolding made of shark cartilage and cow-derived ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Artificial skin
[google_news title=”” keyword=”artificial skin” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]