Researchers have developed an artificial skin that can stretch, sense pressure, and emit light, demonstrating a level of multi-functionality seen in the skin of cephalopods like octopuses. The artificial skin, which outperforms some previous models in terms of stretchiness, could be used on soft electronics and robots that change their shape and color display. The development that made the skin's creation possible is a hyperelastic, light-emitting capacitor (HLEC), which Chris Larson and colleagues designed using two ionic, hydrogel electrodes embedded in a matrix of silicone. The HLEC device is many times more elastic than existing stretchable light emitters based on organic semiconductors. To allow displays of different colors, the matrix in the researchers' design contains zinc sulfide that is doped with various transition metals that emit different wavelengths as electricity passes through. For example, blue light can be created with the presence of copper, or yellow light with magnesium. Tests of the material's elasticity reveal that its surface area can expand by roughly 500% before the external wires lose contact with the hydrogel electrodes. Because the capacitors are laid out in a plate-like formation, they also act as actuation sensors that can detect deformations from pressure and stretching. The researchers created a three-chamber robot from the material, with the newly developed "skin" layers on top, and inflatable layers below that allow movement. As the chambers expand linearly, the robot moves forward with a worm-like wiggle. The authors suggest several different means to build upon this technology depending on desired outcomes; for example, better visual resolution may be attained by using different types of polymers.
Know Science And Want To Write?
Donate or Buy SWAG
Please donate so science experts can write
for the public.
At Science 2.0, scientists are the journalists,
with no political bias or editorial control. We
can't do it alone so please make a difference.
We are a nonprofit science journalism
group operating under Section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code that's
educated over 300 million people.
You can help with a tax-deductible
donation today and 100 percent of your
gift will go toward our programs,
no salaries or offices.
- RIP To The Deniers For Hire Called Organic Consumers Association
- Big Organic Continues To Oppose Food That Uses No Pesticides
- Prosthetic Hearing: Soft Brainstem Implant One Step Closer To Human Trials
- Fish Is Healthy, Fishing Is Sustainable, So Activist Groups Opposing It Are Just Playing Politics
- UK Supreme Court Rules On Biological Sex - But The Debate Won't End There
- No Goldilocks, Webb Telescope Didn't Discover Life On K2-18b
-
Hontas Farmer
First and foremost, this kind of discovery does put to rest the idea that the "LHC hasn't found anything (except the Higgs)." There have been things like this and the pentaquark...
-
Paul Wells
I think you might find this paper on AI for gravitational wave detector design interesting.
-
Jim Eadon
Does this Toponium "particle" have the potential to probe BSM physics? Or tell us something profound about the SM (in addition to its own fascinating existence)?
-
brianlara
Wow, that's wild about Budweiser — never would’ve guessed there were unlisted ingredients like that. Makes you wonder what else we consume without realizing. Speaking of unexpected things, I...
Food Babe Learns The Unlisted Controversial Ingredient In Budweiser · 1 day ago
-
Lucy
Sigh, can you please state the truth on here. The only reason why there is a link between night owls and poor health outcomes, is because most of us are forced via oppression to keep the unnatural...
The Genetic Reason You May Be A Morning Or Night Person | Science 2.0 · 2 days ago
Online?
Comments