Researchers develop e-skin, which may enhance robots
AUSTIN, Texas – Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin have developed the first stretchy, electronic skin with many of the same characteristics as human skin.
The researchers have committed to creating a stretchy skin material for robots and other devices. Current e-skin technology loses sensory accuracy when it stretches, which has stalled further progress.
“Much like human skin has to stretch and bend to accommodate our movements, so too does e-skin,” said Nanshu Lu, a professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics who led the project. “No matter how much our e-skin stretches, the pressure response doesn’t change, and that is a significant achievement.”
The research was published in the scientific journal Matter.
E-skin uses pressure sensors to determine what level of force is required to complete a given task. However, current e-skin models that are stretched lose this ability as they sense the deformation.
Researchers in Austin have created “inflatable probes and grippers that could change shape to perform a variety of sensitive, touch-based tasks,” according to a news release from UT News.
As millions of people continue to age, the global medical system has reached capacity. Robots and other technology can be used to provide care despite the limited availability of human caregivers.
“In the future, if we have more elderly than available caregivers, it’s going to be a crisis worldwide,” Lu said. “We need to find new ways to take care of people efficiently and also gently, and robots are an important piece of that puzzle.”