Researchers at the University of Connecticut and the University of Toronto are working on an artificial skin full of sensors that can detect a strong magnetic field or pressure changes and give the wearer “superhuman” forces.
The research paper, published in Advanced Materials, details a group of intelligent portable electronic devices that are flexible, extensible, malleable, and very similar to human skin.
The goal is not only to mimic human skin, but also to provide the ability to detect magnetic fields, sound waves, and abnormal behavior, which is very useful in hazardous substance removal, robotics search, and rescue, as well as remote monitoring in medical care. They may even be able to give amputees and victims of severe burns a certain amount of feeling.
Technically, it uses a “ferrofluid-based multimodal triboelectric nanogenerator”, a kind of iron oxide nanoparticle fluid that can react to magnetic fields. The tube is wrapped with copper wire so that electrical signals can be sent through it.
The resulting leather is waterproof and elastic and could retain its shape for years. They are now working to reduce the thickness and profile to make it smoother, to make it look more like human skin, and to obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval so that it can be launched in a few years.
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