The new electronic skin is thin, soft, and highly integrated (Image source: Reference 1). Conceptual diagram of the new electronic skin circuit (Image source: Reference 1). Copyright image library pictures, reprinting and using may cause copyright disputes.
Imagine if you could dress a robot in a "magic coat" that allows it to feel touch, pressure, and friction just like humans. What would that be like? This is no longer a daydream in science fiction novels; it has become a reality.
Scientists at Tsinghua University have recently made a breakthrough in the field of electronic skin. They have developed a new type of electronic skin with a biomimetic three-dimensional structure, bringing revolutionary possibilities for future robotics and medical devices.
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Miracles of Imitating Nature: The Birth of Electronic Skin
Electronic skin is a high-tech sensor system that mimics the functions of human skin. It is like a second layer of skin for robots or smart devices, capable of sensing various stimuli from the outside world.
For a long time, scientists have been striving to make electronic skin closer to the complex functions of human skin. Professor Zhang Yihui and his team from the School of Aerospace, Flexible Electronics Technology Laboratory at Tsinghua University, have drawn inspiration from the exquisite structure of human skin, achieving a leap from planar to three-dimensional electronic skin.
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Our skin is so magical because it is not a simple planar structure. Imagine a three-layer sponge cake with a fluffy surface, soft interior, and slightly firm bottom. Our skin also has a similar three-layer structure: the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. Each layer has different functions and characteristics.
The scientists at Tsinghua University have designed a brand-new electronic skin based on this complex structure. It not only imitates the three-layer structure of human skin but also replicates the three-dimensional distribution of the skin's internal receptors.The Secret of Bionic 3D Electronic Skin:
Exquisite Structure and Extraordinary Perception
The new type of electronic skin developed by Tsinghua University, like human skin, is also composed of three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue.
The epidermal layer, like the outermost layer of our skin, is soft and sensitive, capable of quickly perceiving slight touches. The dermal layer is in the middle, containing most of the sensing elements, responsible for accurately identifying pressure and friction. The sensors in this layer adopt a unique octopus cage structure design, which allows them to better capture external stimuli. The subcutaneous tissue layer is the innermost layer, mainly perceiving the overall deformation of the skin, just like we feel the skin being stretched or compressed.
In this ingenious three-layer structure, scientists have cleverly designed the distribution of sensors, imitating the spatial distribution of Merkel cells and Ruffini corpuscles in human skin.
The force sensing unit is located in the upper part of the "cage," closer to the skin surface, and is extremely sensitive to external pressure, similar to Merkel cells in our skin, which can accurately perceive slight touches.
The strain sensors are located on the bottom arch structure, at a certain distance from the force sensing unit. This design makes the strain sensors mainly sensitive to skin stretching without being disturbed by pressure, similar to Ruffini corpuscles in human skin.
This unique three-dimensional layout allows the electronic skin to simultaneously perceive and distinguish pressure, shear force, and strain, just like our skin. What's more amazing is that the perception accuracy of this new type of electronic skin can reach 0.1 millimeters, which means it can almost perceive the position of a hair strand placed on it. This accuracy is already very close to the limit of human skin.
Intelligent Decoding and Deep Learning:Endowing Electronic Skin with the Ability to "Think"
Having only sophisticated sensors is not enough. Just as our brain needs to interpret signals from the nerves, electronic skin also requires a "nerve center" to understand these data. Scientists from Tsinghua University have used advanced deep learning algorithms to enable computers to quickly process and interpret these complex signals. This is akin to teaching electronic skin how to "think" and "understand" the world it senses.
Through this method, electronic skin can not only perceive the existence of objects but also determine their hardness and shape. Imagine a robot that can distinguish whether an apple is fresh or has become soft just by touching it—what an amazing ability! This technology opens up endless possibilities for future intelligent devices.
In the medical field, the new electronic skin may be used to create super-sensitive medical gloves to assist doctors in early diagnosis. It may be able to detect tiny lumps or tissue abnormalities that are difficult for ordinary people to perceive. Professor Zhang Yihui mentioned that this electronic skin could also be applied to human skin like a band-aid, monitoring health data such as blood oxygen in real-time, providing us with a portable health monitoring system.
Future Prospects: Bridging the Gap from Science Fiction to Reality
This breakthrough by the Tsinghua University research team is not only a strong demonstration of China's scientific and technological strength but also another milestone in humanity's exploration of its own mysteries and challenges to the natural limits. This electronic skin technology has a broad application prospect in various fields.
In the field of intelligent prosthetics, it may allow people who have lost limbs to regain tactile sensation, feeling the warmth of a loved one's hand or the softness of a child's cheek. In the industrial field, robots on the assembly line can handle fragile parts more carefully, just like craftsmen with skillful hands.
In human-computer interaction, our intelligent devices may become more intelligent and humanized, capable of perceiving our emotional states or providing a realistic tactile experience in virtual reality.
Although this technology is very exciting, there are still some challenges in applying it on a large scale in the real world, such as durability, cost, energy supply, and data processing issues. However, these challenges cannot overshadow the immense potential of this technology. Perhaps in the near future, when you shake hands with a robot, the other party's hand will be able to respond to you with a gentle touch of "intelligent skin."