Highly sensitive sensors show promise in enhancing human touch
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Scientists have developed a highly sensitive tactile-enhancement system using ultrathin crack-based sensors inspired by a spider's sense organ, which allows users to detect minute movements. These sensors, made of flexible polymer film coated with conductive silver, can be incorporated into gloves or prosthetics, significantly improving the sense of touch for various applications. The findings highlight potential uses in e-skin technology, heartbeat detection, and enhancing human-machine interfaces.
Highly sensitive sensors show promise in enhancing human touch
- 1. Your source for the latest research news New: Unique Non-Oxygen Breathing Animal Follow Subscribe Date: Source: Summary: Share: Science News from research organizations Highly sensitive sensors show promise in enhancing human touch Ultrathin crack-based sensors operate on a principle similar to a spider's sense organ and display remarkable sensitivity to movement February 18, 2020 American Institute of Physics People rely on a highly tuned sense of touch to manipulate objects, but injuries to the skin and the simple act of wearing gloves can impair this ability. Scientists report the development of a new tactile-enhancement system based on a highly sensitive sensor. The sensor has remarkable sensitivity, allowing the wearer to detect the light brush of a feather. This crack-based sensor was inspired by a spider's slit organ. a b e g d FULL STORY People rely on a highly tuned sense of touch to manipulate objects, but injuries to the skin and the simple act of wearing gloves can impair this ability. Surgeons, for example, find that gloves decrease their ability to manipulate soft tissues. Astronauts are also hampered by heavy spacesuits and find it difficult to work with equipment while wearing heavy gloves. In this week's issue of Applied Physics Reviews, by AIP Publishing, scientists report the development of a new tactile-enhancement system based on a highly sensitive sensor. The sensor has remarkable sensitivity, allowing the wearer to detect the light brush of a feather, the touch of a flower petal, water droplets falling on a finger and even a wire too small to be seen. The crack-based sensor used in this device was inspired by a spider's slit organ, an idea first proposed by other researchers. This pattern of cracks in the exoskeleton allows the spider to detect small movements. In the same way, the ultrathin crack-based strain sensor, or UCSS, uses cracks formed in a thin layer of electrically conductive silver. The UCSS is fabricated from several layers of flexible polymer film coated with silver. The entire system is draped and stretched over a curved surface, causing the silver to crack, and generating parallel channels that conduct electricity and are sensitive to movement. The investigators found thinner layers of both the flexible film and the silver yielded sensors with higher sensitivity, while thicker ones exhibited a larger sensing range. To achieve a balance of these two effects, UCSSs with 15- micron thick polymer layers and 37-nanometer thick silver layers were the best choice. The investigators also designed a visually aided tactile enhancement system, VATES, by connecting one or more UCSSs to a signal acquisition unit and visual readout device. They attached UCSSs to gloves, either on the fingertips or on the back of the hand, producing a type of electronic skin, or e-skin. Tiny movements, as small as a person's pulse moving the tip of a finger, could be monitored. The investigators suggest UCSSs could be used in a variety of ways: as highly sensitive electronic whiskers, which can be used to map wind flow patterns; as wearable sensors for heartbeat and pulse detection; or as sensors on prosthetics to enhance the sense of touch. They also demonstrated their use when applied to various parts of the body. UCSSs were able to detect movement due to smiling, frowning and eye blinking. Most Popular this week Strange & Offbeat HEALTH & MEDICINE New Study Associates Intake of Dairy Milk With Greater Risk of Breast Cancer Artificial Intelligence Yields New Antibiotic CT Provides Best Diagnosis for COVID-19 MIND & BRAIN Mediterranean Diet Ingredient May Extend Life Researchers Were Not Right About Left Brains, Study Suggests Think All BPA-Free Products Are Safe? Not So Fast, Scientists Warn LIVING & WELL How Caloric Restriction Prevents Negative Effects of Aging in Cells Boy or Girl? It's in the Father's Genes Spread of Coronavirus Underestimated, Review Finds HEALTH & MEDICINE Physiotherapy Could Be Done at Home Using Virtual Reality Metals Could Be the Link to New Antibiotics How Resident Microbes Restructure Body Chemistry MIND & BRAIN New Study Allows Brain and Artificial Neurons to Link Up Over the Web Bumble Bees Can Experience an Object Using One Sense and Later Recognize It Using Another Scientists Find Ally in Fight Against Brain Tumors: Ebola LIVING & WELL Fur-Friendly 'Wearable for Pets' and Their Humans Low-Cost 'Smart' Diaper Can Notify Caregiver When It's Wet How the Brain's Immune System Could Be Harnessed to Improve Memory
- 2. Cite This Page: American Institute of Physics. "Highly sensitive sensors show promise in enhancing human touch: Ultrathin crack-based sensors operate on a principle similar to a spider's sense organ and display remarkable sensitivity to movement." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 February 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200218182158.htm>. Co-author Caofeng Pan said, "These results demonstrate the wide applications of our ultrathin strain sensor in e-skin and human-machine interfaces." Story Source: Materials provided by American Institute of Physics. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference: 1. Jing Li, Rongrong Bao, Juan Tao, Ming Dong, Yufei Zhang, Sheng Fu, Dengfeng Peng, Caofeng Pan. Visually aided tactile enhancement system based on ultrathin highly sensitive crack-based strain sensors. Applied Physics Reviews, 2020; 7 (1): 011404 DOI: 10.1063/1.5129468 MLA APA Chicago RELATED STORIES Artificial Skin Could Give Superhuman Perception Jan. 28, 2019 — A new type of sensor could lead to artificial skin that someday helps burn victims 'feel' and safeguards the rest of us. Researchers wanted to create a sensor that can mimic the sensing properties ... read more Genetically Encoded Sensor Tracks Changes in Oxygen Levels With Very High Sensitivity Aug. 30, 2018 — Based on a protein from E. coli, scientists have developed a fluorescent protein sensor able to provide real-time information on dynamic changes in oxygen levels with very high sensitivity. As the ... read more Smart, Ultra-Thin Microfibre Sensor for Real-Time Healthcare Monitoring and Diagnosis Nov. 16, 2017 — A soft, flexible and stretchable microfibre sensor has been developed for real-time healthcare monitoring and diagnosis. The novel sensor is highly sensitive and ultra-thin with a diameter of a ... read more Physicists Develop Ultrasensitive Nanomechanical Biosensor June 9, 2015 — Two young researchers have developed an ultracompact highly sensitive nanomechanical sensor for analyzing the chemical composition of substances and detecting biological objects, such as viral ... read more FROM AROUND THE WEB Below are relevant articles that may interest you. ScienceDaily shares links with scholarly publications in the TrendMD network and earns revenue from third-party advertisers, where indicated. Michelson Interferometric Hydrogen Sulfide Gas Sensor Based on NH2-rGO Sensitive Film Shaodian Liu et al., Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A, 2020 Design and Simulation of a Highly Sensitive SPR Optical Fiber Sensor Motahare Sadat Hoseinian et al., Photonic Sensors, 2018 Highly Sensitive Refractive Index Sensor Based on Polymer Long- Period Waveguide Grating With Liquid Cladding Lingfang Wang et al., Photonic Sensors, 2018 Phase Separation Gives Rise To Nanoparticle Ring Formation Zeitschrift für Naturforschung A, 2014 Low-Cost and Highly Sensitive Liquid Refractive Index Sensor Based on Polymer Horizontal Slot Waveguide Xiaoxia Ma et al., Photonic Sensors, 2019