A group of American and Canadian engineers, chemists and biologists from the University of Connecticut and the University of Toronto have developed a new type of sensor that gives artificial skin the ability to sense pressure, vibrations and even magnetic fields. This technology will help burn victims and people with other dermal injuries to recover. The invention is reported in detail in the Advanced Materials journal.
The new sensor consists of a flexible hollow silicone tube wrapped in copper wire and filled with iron oxide particles. As the iron nanoparticles move inside the tube, they create an electrical discharge that is transferred to the copper wire. When pressure is applied to the tube, the current changes.
In addition to being able, like human skin, to perceive changes in the environment, electronic skin is able to feel even fluctuations in a magnetic field and vibrations of sound waves. According to co-author of the work, Abdelsalam Ahmed of the University of Toronto, the researchers set themselves the task of developing artificial skin, whose sensory capabilities go beyond humans.
The developers believe that their invention will find interest among manufacturers of electronic security systems, developers of robots for rescue operations, as well as in new generation devices for remote health monitoring. In the future, the creators of the sensor plan to develop a flatter prototype that can integrate more naturally into artificial skin and not stand out against its background. In addition, scientists plan to make e-skin fully biocompatible.
The authors of the project note that the cost of producing one such sensor is currently less than $ 5. Scientists have patented their development and plan to enter the market with it in the next couple of years.
Nikolay Khizhnyak
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