Self-powered Multifunctional Artificial Skin Inspired by Human Skin

Human skin feels external mechanical stimuli by sensing the changes in the membrane potential of skin sensory cells. Many studies have attempted to reconstruct skin functions and develop artificial skins based on active and passive perception mechanisms. Inspired by the skin's sensory behavior, we investigated hydrogel materials and electronic devices that allowed us to encode mechanical and thermal stimulation into a measured potential difference between the two electrodes, resulting in artificial skin. We present here a sensor that manufactured through a micro-pyramid structure. This sensor shows energy-autonomous ability, high sensitivity, highly tunable sensing behavior, and capability to detect both static and low frequency dynamic mechanical stimuli. In addition, we demonstrate the application of sensors fabricated based on this sensing mechanism for limb posture hold monitoring and sensing pixels. This multifunctional sensor has broad impact on robotics, prosthetics, and health care by providing an improved human-machine interface.