Robots get a human touch with self-healing 'electronic skin'
Future is now. If technological advancements haven't impressed you so far, this certainly will. According to researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, they have successfully developed an electronic skin (e-skin) for robots which is also fully rehealable and recyclable. This malleable e-skin, alike the properties and functions of a human skin, is capable of measuring temperature, pressure and vibration. Here's all about it.
What is an e-skin?
An electronic skin or e-skin is made up of a thin, translucent polymer known as polyimine. It is laced with silver nanoparticles which can mimic mechanical properties and functionalities of a natural skin and thus offers a wide array of applications. Further, the e-skin developed at CU Boulder has self-healing properties and with embedded sensors, it can measure temperature, pressure, air-flow and humidity.
Why is it unique?
According to CU Boulder researchers, by using a novel type of chemical bonding for polyimine, they have allowed for this skin to be both self-healing and recyclable at room temperature. Hence, this e-skin becomes a more economically and environmentally viable option for mass-scale commercial use.
The recyclability of this e-skin
To recycle, the e-skin is soaked into a solution which degrades polyimine into ogliomers (polymers with polymerization degree below 10) and monomers that can dissolve in ethanol. This process allows the silver nanoparticles to sink to the bottom of the solution and hence let the recycled solution and nanoparticles to be used again to make a new functional e-skin.
Not just for Robots
This novel invention has a range of applications - from prosthetics to biomedicine like a prosthetic arm or leg wherein the user can respond to changes in temperature and pressure. Given the nature and properties of this e-skin, it can be easily conformed to different shapes and curved spaces like toes or fingers - both for humans and robots.
