New materials and advances in making electronic skin for interactive robots

Abstract

Flexible electronics has huge potential to bring revolution in robotics and prosthetics as well as to bring about the next big evolution in electronics industry. In robotics and related applications, it is expected to revolutionise the way with which machines interact with humans, real-world objects and the environment. For example, the conformable electronic or tactile skin on robot's body, enabled by advances in flexible electronics, will allow safe robotic interaction during physical contact of robot with various objects. Developing a conformable, bendable and stretchable electronic system requires distributing electronics over large non-planar surfaces and movable components. The current research focus in this direction is marked by the use of novel materials or by the smart engineering of the traditional materials to develop new sensors, electronics on substrates that can be wrapped around curved surfaces. Attempts are being made to achieve flexibility/stretchability in e-skin while retaining a reliable operation. This review provides insight into various materials that have been used in the development of flexible electronics primarily for e-skin applications.

Designing for a Wearable Affective Interface for the NAO Robot: A Study of Emotion Conveyance by Touch

“…Yogeswaran et al [24], in their survey, also refer to the use of 'e-skin' (electronic skin) for sensors detecting potentially harmful chemical, biological and thermal change. Furthermore, they highlight the need for flexible, stretchable skin so as to promote safe and natural handling by human interactors.…”

“…Different types of transduction methods have been used such as optical transduction and piezoelectric for dynamic tactile sensing on deformable surfaces (e.g., [25]) as well as capacitive, piezoresistive and magnetic, among others (cf. [24]). …”

At-Home Computer-Aided Myoelectric Training System for Wrist Prosthesis

“…This refers especially on the applied grip force, so as an object to be neither firmly, nor loosely grasped. Solutions that have been explored towards this direction focus on tactile sensing chips that mimic the properties of the human skin [23][24][25][26].…”

Device modelling of silicon based high-performance flexible electronics

“…[1,2] Very often, these applications require electronics to conform over 3D surfaces and this calls for new methods to realise devices on unconventional substrates such as plastics as illustrated in Fig.1. For example, in the electronic skin, various types of sensors and electronics need to be integrated over flexible substrates so that it can be placed over curvilinear body surface of a robot or prostheses [3][4][5].…”