AKA Wearable Skin Asks What's My Retronym
New 'fabric' converts motion into electricity
Jun 2022, phys.org
In a proof-of-concept experiment reported in the scientific journal Advanced Materials in April, the NTU Singapore team showed that tapping on a 3cm by 4cm piece of the new fabric generated enough electrical energy to light up 100 LEDs (capable of 2.34 watts per square meter).
The electricity-generating fabric is an energy harvesting device that turns vibrations produced from the smallest body movements in everyday life into electricity either when pressed or squashed (piezoelectricity), or when in friction with other materials (triboelectric effect).
This stretchable electrode made by screenprinting an "ink" comprising silver and styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) is then attached to a piece of nanofibre fabric made of poly(vinylidene fluoride)-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDFHPF), and lead-free perovskites.
Very new meaning to Rainwater Harvesting:
The team recently developed a type of film that could potentially be mounted on roofs or walls to harness the energy produced from wind or raindrops falling onto the film.
via Nanyang Technological University: Feng Jiang et al, Stretchable, Breathable, and Stable Lead‐Free Perovskite/Polymer Nanofiber Composite for Hybrid Triboelectric and Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting, Advanced Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202200042
Image credit: interband collective excitations in twisted bilayer graphene, Matteo Ceccanti, 2021 [link]
Artificial skin gives robots sense of touch and beyond
Jun 2022, phys.org
This new skin technology is part of a robotic platform that integrates the artificial skin with a robotic arm and sensors that attach to human skin. A machine-learning system that interfaces the two allows the human user to control the robot with their own movements while receiving feedback through their own skin.
Called the M-Bot:
Gelatinous hydrogel makes robot fingertips a lot more like our own, and are embedded with sensors to detect the world around it. These sensors are literally printed onto the skin in the same way that an inkjet printer applies text to a sheet of paper.
Some applications:
"Graphene impregnated with platinum detects the explosive TNT very quickly and selectively. For a virus, we are printing carbon nanotubes, which have very high surface area, and attaching antibodies for the virus to them. This is all mass producible and scalable."
via California Institute of Technology: You Yu et al, All-printed soft human-machine interface for robotic physicochemical sensing, Science Robotics (2022). DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abn0495
Artificial skin capable of feeling pain could lead to new generation of touch-sensitive robots
Jun 2022, phys.org
Artificial skin with a new type of processing system based on "synaptic transistors," which mimics the brain's neural pathways in order to learn to react to external stimuli.
Data from the electronic skin sensors is usually sent to a computer to be processed and interpreted, but that data is too big, introducing delays.
The Glasgow team uses the human peripheral nervous system as inspiration with artificial synapses on a circuit built into the skin that process stimuli at the point of contact, reducing it to only the vital information before it is sent to the brain.
The team used the varying output of that voltage spike to teach the skin appropriate responses to simulated pain, which would trigger the robot hand to react. By setting a threshold of input voltage to cause a reaction, the team could make the robot hand recoil from a sharp jab in the center of its palm.
via University of Glasgow: Fengyuan Liu et al, Printed Synaptic Transistors based Electronic Skin for Robots to Feel and Learn, Science Robotics (2022). DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abl7286.
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Scientists develop novel pain-perception biomimetic skin enabled by strain-perception-strengthening effect
Jun 2022, phys.org
Proposed strain-perception-strengthening (SPS) enabled biomimetic soft skin, which realizes the dynamic transformation from tactile to pain perception.
Elastic and conductive film (ECF), composed of elastomeric thin-film and assembled graphene nanosheets with an interlocked structural interface.
Pufferfish-inspired.
via Chinese Academy of Sciences Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering: Peng Xiao et al, Biomimetic Skins Enable Strain‐Perception‐Strengthening Soft Morphing, Advanced Functional Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202201812
Researchers develop a wearable textile exomuscle
Jun 2022, phys.org
The Myoshirt: a soft, wearable exomuscle for the upper body
via ETH Zurich: Anna-Maria Georgarakis et al, A textile exomuscle that assists the shoulder during functional movements for everyday life, Nature Machine Intelligence (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-022-00495-3
Rubbery camouflage skin exhibits smart and stretchy behaviors
Jun 2022, phys.org
Artificially intelligent bioelectronic skin devices that mimics both the elasticity and the neurologic functions of cephalopod skin, with potential applications for neurorobotics, skin prosthetics, artificial organs and more.
"Although several artificial camouflage skin devices have been recently developed, they lack critical noncentralized neuromorphic processing and cognition capabilities, and materials with such capabilities lack robust mechanical properties," Yu said. "Our recently developed soft synaptic devices have achieved brain-inspired computing and artificial nervous systems that are sensitive to touch and light that retain these neuromorphic functions when biaxially stretched."
The Future: Where every molecule computes, and every desire an algorithm (long live the mass transference device).
via Pennsylvania State University: Hyunseok Shim et al, Artificial neuromorphic cognitive skins based on distributed biaxially stretchable elastomeric synaptic transistors, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2204852119
Personal health trackers may include smart face mask, other wearables
Jun 2022, phys.org
Metallic conductor called MoO2 for a bioelectronic facemask.
via University of Missouri: Zhilu Ye et al, A Breathable, Reusable, and Zero-Power Smart Face Mask for Wireless Cough and Mask-Wearing Monitoring, ACS Nano (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c11041
And: Ganggang Zhao et al, Laser-scribed conductive, photoactive transition metal oxide on soft elastomers for Janus on-skin electronics and soft actuators, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abp9734
Future robots could 'see' using new type of electronic skin
Jul 2022, phys.org
The breakthrough development involves a newly-developed method of printing microscale semiconductors made from gallium arsenide onto a flexible plastic surface, and which could provide future robots with an electronic skin capable of "seeing" light beyond the range of human vision.
via University of Glasgow: Ayoub Zumeit et al, Printed GaAs Microstructures‐Based Flexible High‐Performance Broadband Photodetectors, Advanced Materials Technologies (2022). DOI: 10.1002/admt.202200772
Hearing better with skin than ears: Research team develops a sound-sensing skin-attachable acoustic sensor
Jul 2022, phys.org
"auditory electronic skin"
Microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-based microphone structure using polymer materials, a quarter of a fingernail in size and thickness of a few hundred micrometers. The microphone can be attached to large surface areas of the body or even on the finger.
The research team plans to create auditory electronic skin by integrating it with skin-attachable pressure and temperature sensors, flexible displays, and others.
via Pohang University of Science & Technology: Siyoung Lee et al, A High‐Fidelity Skin‐Attachable Acoustic Sensor for Realizing Auditory Electronic Skin, Advanced Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202109545
Artificial skin sweats on command
Jul 2022, phys.org
Sweats on command.
via Eindhoven University of Technology: Yuanyuan Zhan et al, Light‐ and Field‐Controlled Diffusion, Ejection, Flow and Collection of Liquid at a Nanoporous Liquid Crystal Membrane, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2022). DOI: 10.1002/anie.202207468
Stretchy computing device feels like skin—but analyzes health data with brain-mimicking artificial intelligence
Aug 2022, phys.org
Rather than work like a typical computer, the chip — called a neuromorphic computing chip — functions more like a human brain, able to both store and analyze data in an integrated way.
via University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering: Shilei Dai et al, Intrinsically stretchable neuromorphic devices for on-body processing of health data with artificial intelligence, Matter (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2022.07.016
Researchers engineer biofilm capable of producing long-term, continuous electricity from your sweat
Aug 2022, phys.org
Biofilm that harvests the energy in evaporation and converts it to electricity.
That's because this biofilm—a thin sheet of bacterial cells about the thickness of a sheet of paper—is produced naturally by an engineered version of the bacteria Geobacter sulfurreducens. G. sulfurreducens is known to produce electricity and has been used previously in "microbial batteries" to power electrical devices. But such batteries require that G. sulfurreducens is properly cared for and fed a constant diet. By contrast, this new biofilm, which can supply as much, if not more, energy than a comparably sized battery, works, and works continuously, because it is dead. And because it's dead, it doesn't need to be fed.
It makes energy from the moisture on your skin. Since the surface of our skin is constantly moist with sweat, the biofilm can "plug-in" and convert the energy locked in evaporation into enough energy to power small devices.
via University of Massachusetts Amherst: Xiaomeng Liu et al, Microbial biofilms for electricity generation from water evaporation and power to wearables, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32105-6
Wearable technology measures mental activity through the skin
Aug 2022, phys.org
Measures mental activity using electrodermal activity — an electrical phenomenon of the skin that is influenced by brain activity related to emotional status.
The overarching goal—a Multimodal Intelligent Noninvasive brain state Decoder for Wearable AdapTive Closed-loop arcHitectures, or MINDWATCH.
via NYU Tandon School of Engineering: Rafiul Amin et al, Physiological characterization of electrodermal activity enables scalable near real-time autonomic nervous system activation inference, PLOS Computational Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010275
Engineers fabricate a chip-free, wireless, electronic 'skin'
Aug 2022, phys.org
Conforms to the skin like electronic Scotch tape, using a film of piezoelectric gallium nitride paired with a conducting layer of gold.
The device was sensitive enough to vibrate in response to a person's heartbeat, as well as the salt in their sweat, and that the material's vibrations generated an electrical signal that could be read by a nearby receiver to wirelessly transmit sensing information, without the need for a chip or battery.
via MIT: Yeongin Kim et al, Chip-less wireless electronic skins by remote epitaxial freestanding compound semiconductors, Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn7325.
A flexible device that harvests thermal energy to power wearable electronics
Aug 2022, phys.org
First-of-its kind flexible, wearable thermoelectric device that converts body heat to electricity.
via University of Washington: Youngshang Han et al, Printing Liquid Metal Elastomer Composites for High‐Performance Stretchable Thermoelectric Generators, Advanced Energy Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202201413
Self-charging, ultra-thin device that generates electricity from air moisture
Aug 2022, phys.org
Moisture-driven electricity generation (MEG) device containing two regions of different properties to perpetually maintain a difference in water content across the regions to generate electricity and allow for electrical output for hundreds of hours.
The device is a thin layer of commercially available fabric made of wood pulp and polyester and coated with carbon nanoparticles.
via National University of Singapore: Yaoxin Zhang et al, An Asymmetric Hygroscopic Structure for Moisture‐Driven Hygro‐Ionic Electricity Generation and Storage, Advanced Materials (2022). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202201228
A wearable textile-based pneumatic energy harvesting system for assistive robotics
Aug 2022, phys.org
Engineers have built a handy extra limb able to grasp objects and go, powered only by compressed air.
(Similar to, but not the same as, the "dead spider" robot approach)
via Rice University: Rachel A. Shveda et al, A wearable textile-based pneumatic energy harvesting system for assistive robotics, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo2418
