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A person wears an “electronic skin” device on their wrist
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A new intelligent synthetic skin has been developed that can repair itself in less than a second like the cyborg in Terminator.
Electronic skin, or e-skin, is as strong, elastic and sensitive as human skin and could be used to monitor a person’s health or the structural condition of an aircraft, the scientists say.
While this isn’t the first time scientists have tried to “electronically” replicate human skin, previous attempts have failed.
This prototype e-skin can detect objects up to eight inches away, react to things in less than a tenth of a second, and repair itself more than 5,000 times, according to the researchers.
Study author Dr. Yichen Cai, of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, said, “The ideal e-skin will mimic the many natural functions of human skin, such as sensing temperature and touch. , accurately and in real time.
“However, making adequately flexible electronic components that can perform such delicate tasks while at the same time withstanding the bumps and scratches of everyday life is challenging and every material involved must be carefully designed.”
Electronic skin, or e-skin, is as strong, supple and sensitive as human skin
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Previous attempts to copy human skin combined a sensor layer, made up of an active nanomaterial, with an elastic layer that attaches to our skin.
But the connection between these two layers is often too weak or too strong, reducing its durability, sensitivity or flexibility, which makes it more likely to break.
Dr Cai said, “The skin electronics landscape continues to change at a spectacular rate.
“The emergence of 2D sensors has accelerated efforts to integrate these atomically thin and mechanically strong materials into functional and durable artificial leathers.”
To address this problem, the researchers used a hydrogel reinforced with silica nanoparticles to create their ‘elastic surface’.
The skin is similar to the futuristic technology of the Terminator
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They then combined it with a 2D titanium carbide MXene sensor using highly conductive nano wires.
The co-author, Dr. Jie Shen said: “Hydrogels contain more than 70% water, which makes them very compatible with human skin tissues.
“By lending the hydrogel in all directions, applying a layer of nanowires and then carefully controlling its release, we created conductive pathways to the sensor layer that remained intact even when the material was stretched to 28 times its original size.” .
Their prototype e-skin can detect objects from 20 centimeters away and respond to stimuli in less than a tenth of a second, the researchers say.
At the same time it is highly sensitive, to the point of being able to distinguish the handwriting written on its surface and withstand 5,000 deformations, recovering in about a quarter of a second.
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Robot
Dr Shen said, “It is a surprising result for electronic skin to maintain hardness after repeated use, which mimics the elasticity and rapid recovery of human skin.”
Their new invention could help make prostheses that monitor a range of biological information, including changes in blood pressure by detecting vibrations in the arteries.
The information could then be shared and stored in the cloud via Wi-Fi.
Co-author Vincent Tung said: “A remaining obstacle to the widespread use of e-skin lies in the expansion of the high-resolution sensor.
“However, laser-assisted additive manufacturing offers new promise.
While the first port of call is medical, the e-skin could benefit from a wide range of products.
Dr Cai added: “We envision a future for this technology beyond biology.
“One day, the stretchable sensor tape could monitor the structural health of inanimate objects, such as furniture and airplanes.”
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