The technology of electronic skin has witnessed rapid evolution in the past few years. By recreating the characteristics of human skin by using electronics, the scope of application is massive including innovations in sectors such as medicine, robotics, and prosthetics.
Manufacturers and researchers are increasingly focusing on boosting the properties of electronic skin materials such as enhancements in durability, flexibility, and elasticity. The industry has witnessed rapid developments in tactile senses and eco-friendly materials for electronic skin designs. Requirements of reuse, recyclability, and efficient self-healing mechanisms are expected to play major roles in future development of the field.
Improvements in Transduction Mechanisms Drive E-Skin Developments
In recent years, electronic skin has gained increased attention owing to improvements in the material’s ability to sense strain, sheer forces, pressure, and influences that deform the material. Such capabilities are being made true through the conversion of external stimulus to into electronic systems through the use of signal transduction processes.
Traditional processes of transduction such as capacitance, piezoresistivity, and piezoelectricity are witnessing innovations that are anticipated to greatly increase capabilities relevant to robotics, prosthetics and more. The use of optical pressure sensors are also gaining popularity owing to the widespread adoption of visual display and touch screen technologies. Forced induction and electrostatic induction is being widely used for wireless electronic skin applications, playing the role of portable power source.
Increasingly flexible and stretchable electronics are gaining interest in the electronic skin market, and is expected to replace traditional electronic devices, which are implemented on conventional rigid semiconductor wafers. This can be attributed to the conformation of such devices on irregular surfaces such as the parts of the human body. Bonding of conductive material to elastic substrates, geometric patterning, and the use of neutral mechanical plane layouts, or assembling electronic skin devices that use specialized conductive materials with elastomer matrixes, to build up intrinsically stretchable qualities of the conductors of the electronic skin, raising durability and convenience for users by a significant margin.
Technological Innovations Drive Future Opportunities for Manufacturers
Piezoelectric, nanostructured, polymers are anticipated to witness high adoption owing to increased reliability in self-healing properties. The challenges usually posed by embedded electronic systems can largely be negated through the use of alternatives such as interface electronics, which allow neuromorphic or traditional applications, which are based on bio-inspired mechanisms.
Moreover, tactile the development of algorithms for tactile processing is also expected to create opportunities in the terms of e-skin interactions. Newer systems are expected to aim towards the effective real time data processing, with higher computing power, with high resilience to faults and tactile impacts, without consuming a lot of power. Moreover, the circuitry in future e-skins will be able to automatically configure itself to meet the needs of various tasks. The use of organic field effect transistors are thought to be a feasible solution for these requirements.
Chrono Therapeutics has stated human trials on an electronic skin product that is aimed to replace traditional nicotine patches through the use of smart detection systems that recognize and deliver doses of nicotine only when the user has a very strong desire for a cigarette. This technology is expected to make it easier for users to kick the smoking habit.
On a similar note, an e-skin product has been developed by the University of Illinois that is expected to provide an effective alternative to traditional non-invasive methods of monitoring wounds, through vision or touch. The product instead makes use of sensors to detect conductivity and temperature of the wound that allows early detection of infections or growing damage.
With the growing incidences of chronic, non-contagious diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular ailments, the need for effective monitoring of health is going to gain importance rapidly. Moreover, the increasing adoption of Internet-of-things technology combined with the use of e-skins will allow the healthcare options for such conditions, and enable remote monitoring and management of the treatment, especially with the rising use of temporary electronic skin patches, the future of the industry seems bright.
