Soon, You Could Have Artificial Skin

Imagine a world where people with artificial limbs could feel water on their prosthetic device. Well, that world isn’t too far off. Scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have created flexible sensors that, when added to thin plastic, can sense humidity, temperature and touch almost as well as real skin.

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These new sensors use gold particles and a particular kind of plastic which can detect certain kinds of stimuli – humidity, temperature and touch – simultaneously. When these sensors are embedded in plastic, they can be used as a coating to prosthetics to give the users the ability to feel with their devices.

Similar coatings, called e-skin, have been around for a while, but current  artificial skins can only detect touch. This new e-skin would not only be able to sense more stimuli than that, but it would also have ten times the touch sensitivity. This extra sensitivity could be the difference between crushing a can of soda or holding it just perfectly to enjoy a refreshing sip.

Essentially, the sensor works by bending. When the gold particles and thin plastic membrane bend, some particles in the plastic move closer together, changing how electrons flow around the particles. The sensors can detect these changes in electrons’ movements, which in turn tells the user how much pressure is being applied. With enough training, the user will be able to pick up an item using exactly the right amount of pressure, and he or she will also be able to tell through the sensors whether the item is hot, cold or room temperature.

As it stands, the sensors bring into focus a world in which prosthetic limbs function as well as natural ones, but many people are hoping for a future where artificial skin is more sensitive than real skin, where e-skin is used to, say, detect the exact temperature and humidity of the air. Others still are looking outside our bodies for applications. Many predict these sensors may be used on buildings, bridges and other constructions as cheap but very reliable stress indicators, so that if the tiniest hairline crack formed in a structure, the e-skin could detect it and alert the appropriate people – or, more likely, nanorobots – to repair it.

This is of course an outstanding development for those needing functional prosthetic devices, but it might also herald a new age where artificial body parts can out-perform natural ones. So what do you think? Would you like to have a body part that could tell you the exact temperature?