Engineers Develop Stretchable, Transparent, Self-Powering Sensor That Records Skin Sensations

Engineers from the University of Toronto have developed a new type of flexible transparent sensor that garners data on the complex sensations of human skin, meaning it can sense when it’s being touched, stretched, bent, heated, or manipulated. Known as AISkin (Artificial Ionic Skin), the team feels that the new hydrogel-based sensor could lead to advancements in wearable technology, personal healthcare devices, and robotics.

AISkin was designed using two oppositely charged sheets of a stretchable hydrogel, and by overlaying positive and negative ions, it forms what the engineers call a “sensing junction” on the surface of the material. When AISkin encounters strain, humidity, or temperature changes, it generates controlled ion movement across the sensing junction, which can then be measured as electrical signals via voltage or current. It’s similar to human skin when we sense heat or pressure, and our neural cells transmit that information via ions to the brain.

The researchers state AISkin could be used to create skin-like Fitbit health trackers that measure different health parameters, an adhesive touchpad you can wear, or even used to monitor the progress of muscle rehabilitation. The elastic sensor could also be employed in the field of soft robotics, making them entirely out of polymers, or used in factories for delicate robotic grippers that could handle fragile objects such as light bulbs or handling soft foods.

Over the coming year, the engineers will focus on further developing the AISkin by reducing the size of the sensors through microfabrication, as well as adding bio-sensing capabilities to measure biomolecules in bodily fluids such as sweat.