Very often in science fiction films, we can see how scientists using high technologies can create things that give people superpowers. And it may sound incredible, but a group of researchers from Germany was actually able to do something similar. True, experts are still far from the abilities of Tony Stark, but you can already give you the ability to easily navigate the terrain in the absence of smartphones and in general any other navigation devices today. And all this thanks to the special e-skin.
Researchers from the Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf are behind the development and they themselves call their invention "the bionic analogue of the compass". It is a silver polymer only one thousandth of a millimeter thick and is capable of trapping the earth's magnetic field. According to the study's lead author Gilbert Santiago Bermudez Canyon, The device itself works thanks to the anisotropic magnetoresistive effect (AMR), which means, as the authors explained, that the electrical resistance of the polymer layers changes depending on their orientation with respect to the external magnetic field.
In the course of a series of experiments, the technology has shown its effectiveness. The electronic skin was attached to the subject's finger and he had to follow a certain route in an open space. In general, he had to go first to the north, then to the west, to the south and, when moving east, return to the starting point. At the same time, the route was not a "square", but was winding and it was necessary to focus only on the sensor readings. The subject did an excellent job.
Such a "topographic superpower" can be useful not only in travel, but also in medical practice for patients suffering from disorientation in space.