Electronic Skin Senses the Direction of Touch

Dec-12-14 Joining the recent surge in intelligent, artificial skins, a new electronic skin from a team in Korea is able to "feel" the direction of a touch.

Inspired by the interlocked microstructures found in human skin, the team created the artificial version by interlocking a pair of carbon nanotube composite films that had been patterned on the surface with hexagonal microdome arrays. These tiny microdomes will deform depending upon the direction of pressure, and are sensitive enough to detect the movement of air.

In tests, the skin was able to detect the direction of different sensations, including those caused by stretching, bending and twisting forces. The team hopes to increase the skin's sensitivity by mimicking other structures in the human skin.

More Info about this Invention:

[GIZMAG.COM]
[ACS.ORG]

---