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One day, robots will be able to feel through their skin. A touch-sensitive artificial nerve brings that day closer.
Bridging the gap between biological systems and machines has come one step closer, with
a report in the journal
Science detailing a touch-sensitive artificial nerve. Capable of distinguishing Braille characters and even interfacing with a cockroach leg, the device could have wide-reaching applications in robotics and prosthetic limbs.
The artificial nerve, developed by scientists at Stanford University in the US and Seoul National Universities in Korea, brings together three components to mimic at action of a sensory nerve cell.
An organic polymer-based pressure sensor feeds information to a flexible ring oscillator, which functions as an electronic neuron. The signal generated is then fed to an artificial synaptic transistor, which integrates the outputs from multiple pressure sensors, modelled after the synapse between biological nerve cells. This synaptic transistor can then feed output to a computer, or can be directly linked to a biological nerve cell.
The polymer-based pressure sensors, which have been
previously reported by co-author Zhenan Bao, professor of chemical engineering at Stanford, can detect the weight of a single flower petal weighing just 0.8 milligrams. This means that artificial skin imbedded with these cells could be even more sensitive than human skin.
"We take skin for granted but it's a complex sensing, signalling and decision-making system," says Bao.
Comment: Or, consider the Body By Science approach of Dr. Doug McGuff to improve health and strength, which doesn't require getting mildly electrocuted twice a week.