All in One, Self‐Powered Bionic Artificial Nerve Based on a Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Abstract

Sensory and nerve systems play important role in mediating the interactions with the world. The pursuit of neuromorphic computing has inspired innovations in artificial sensory and nervous systems. Here, an all‐in‐one, tailorable artificial perception, and transmission nerve (APTN) was developed for mimicking the biological sensory and nervous ability to detect and transmit the location information of mechanical stimulation. The APTN shows excellent reliability with a single triboelectric electrode for the detection of multiple pixels, by employing a gradient thickness dielectric layer and a grid surface structure. The sliding mode is used on the APTN to eliminate the amplitude influence of output signal, such as force, interlayer distance. By tailoring the geometry, an L‐shaped APTN is demonstrated for the application of single‐electrode bionic artificial nerve for 2D detection. In addition, an APTN based prosthetic arm is also fabricated to biomimetically identify and transmit the stimuli location signal to pattern the feedback. With features of low‐cost, easy installation, and good flexibility, the APTN renders as a promising artificial sensory and nervous system for artificial intelligence, human–machine interface, and robotics applications.

Recent Progress in the Energy Harvesting Technology—From Self-Powered Sensors to Self-Sustained IoT, and New Applications

“…In the demonstration displayed in an embedded VR interface, the user can communicate with non-signer via the triboelectric smart gloves transmitting complete sentences. For depth sensing, Zhang et al proposed a tailorable, TENG-based artificial perception and transmission nerve (APTN), as shown in Figure 6f [241]. By constructing the gradient thickness in the dielectric layer, different outputs at different positions are applied to locate and transmit simulated mechanosensitive signals to the driver circuit, which realize the main functions of the biological sensory and nervous system.…”

“…Copyright 2021 Nature). (f) TENG-based artificial perception and transmission nerve (Reprinted with permission from ref [241]…”

Wearable Triboelectric Sensors Enabled Gait Analysis and Waist Motion Capture for IoT‐Based Smart Healthcare Applications

“…[52,53] In addition to sensing performance, the flexible wearable sensor is also in high demand of properties including self-sustainability, ease of fabrication, and low cost for customizable applications. [54][55][56][57][58] On that account, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) featured with self-generated signals and lower power consumption is attracting increasing attention widely, especially for the scenarios of large-scale IoT applications. [59][60][61][62][63] More importantly, due to the unique operation mechanism, triboelectric sensors have versatile options in terms of fabrication techniques and materials.…”

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“…It is considered by scientists and governments because of the extremely broad application in the portable consumer electronics and automobile market [ 3 ]. To meet the requirement of energy storage, decreasing the energy consumption [ 4 , 5 ] and developing the next generation, LIB becomes increasingly important [ 6 , 7 ].…”