Biomedical engineering: artificial skin

Tactile sensing is an important component to make robotic end effectors more versatile and adaptive. As robots move into the human environment they need to handle a broad range of objects and physically interact with people calling for more resourceful grippers. However, creating an artificial sense of touch has proven more difficult than simulating hearing or seeing. But now researchers have created a tactile sensing system they say is as sensitive as the human fingertip.
For their sensing system the team of researchers of the Georgia Institute of Technology created a new type of transistor that harnesses the piezoelectric effect of converting mechanical force into an electrical charge. The nanoscale transistors can be placed in a densely packed configuration and each can send an individual controlling signal. Pressure changes, even on a tiny area, result in multiple signals being sent to the robot’s AI core, thus simulating the human sense of touch.

 

 

 

Zhenan Bao is behind the advances, and the recent development centers on a stretchable solar cell system that can expand and shrink along two different axes, making it perfect for incorporation into artificial skin for robots, human prosthetic limbs, or even clothing.

The new super-skin will give future android robots--which are coming to our homes and workplaces sooner than you may think--the ability to gather power from the sun at all times, have human-like touch sensitivity (which is vital if they're to be integrated into our lifestyles), and to have super-human chemical senses that make them very useful workplace assistants. If you're not thinking of I-Robot now, then you should be... But it's also possible that Bao's super-skin could find uses in advanced robotic prosthetic limbs--adding back sensation (if there's a way to wire the skin's sense powers to nerves the way nerves are wired into controlling smart-limbs), and the solar-power skills reduce reliance on bulky battery technology. Variations on the skin could coat cars or military vehicles, and even soldier's uniforms could act as both bio-sensors and solar power generators.

Maybe "The Terminator" could actually be produced and have the exact same structure as us humans, but wouldnt that be a little creepy? It certainly is but for engineers this is what pushes us to the next step!!!

Original sources:
http://www.techthefuture.com/technology/artificial-skin-could-give-robots-sense-of-touch/

http://www.fastcompany.com/1730913/robot-skin-can-feel-touch-sense-chemicals-and-soak-solar-power

Blog #3
Stephen Lacey