The world’s first development of an electronic skin that feels tactile and at the temperature like human skin

Entry 2020.11.20 07:14

Like human skin, an electronic skin was developed that can detect both temperature and irritation.

Pohang University (Pohang University) announced on the 20th that a joint research team of Professor Woon-ryong Jeong and Dr. Insang Yoo from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor Jenan Bao of Stanford University In the United States, they developed the world’s first ‘multifunctional electronic ion skin’ that can simultaneously measure temperature and mechanical stimulation. The results of the research were published on the 20th of the journal Science, the most authoritative journal in the field of science.

Human skin has receptors that can detect various pinching and twisting sensations and hot or cold temperatures. Electronic skin, which has been released so far, does not recognize two things at the same time, like human skin, and has detected motion or temperature respectively.

The research team observed that touch receptors in human skin are filled with electrolytes, so they can deform but not break. Using the fact that the measurable properties of an ion conducting material containing an electrolyte vary according to the measurement frequency, a multifunctional artificial receiver was created that simultaneously measures touch and temperature.

This electronic skin can accurately measure the direction or extent of force applied to various movements, such as pushing, pinching, stretching, twisting, and the temperature of the applied object.

It is made with a simple electrode-electrolyte-electrode structure, so it has a great advantage for marketing. Electronic ion multifunctional skin is expected to be applicable to use temperature sensors and humanoid robots.

Dr. Insang Yoo, the first author, said: “When the index finger touches, the electronic skin feels the contact as a change in temperature, and when the finger pushes the skin, the contacted back increases and perceives it as movement.” . “The principle of action is to guess that real human skin is one of the principles that recognizes various senses of touch.”