Stanford Scientists Create Pressure-Sensitive Skin

In search for the perfect artificial skin, Stanford University researchers have developed a new synthetic skin that is pressure-sensitive, researchers announced Wednesday. This new artificial skin is flexible, real skin-like in consistency and could help amputees and burn victims in the future.

Stanford University

Made of spray-on carbon nanotubes, the skin can be stretched in any direction and not have damaging wrinkles. The deformable silicone and spray-on carbon nanotubes store an electric charge that causes the material to stretch and is sensitive enough to feel pressure ranging from a pinch to the pressure of an elephant standing on one foot.

Darren Lipomi, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University along with two Stanford graduate students, Benjamin Tee and Michael Vosgueritchain, helped to develop the skin in the lab of Professor Zhenan Bao.

The skin was created by spraying liquid versions of carbon nanotubes onto a layer of silicone. The silicon was then stretched out, forcing the nanotubes to expand. The nanotubes then adjust to the direction of the stretch.

Miniature springs are formed after the first stretch allowing the material to be stretched constantly without losing conductivity. They then stretch it again, allowing the nanotubes to stretch in any directon.

The sensor is made from a deformable silicone that stores electrical charge sandwiched by two of nanotube-coated silicone pieces. When pressure is released on the sensor, the middle layer will compress and the capacitance increases.

Then left is a transparent sensor that is pressure-sensitive, which the research team calls "conductive spaghetti," flexible, and versatile.

This new pressure-sensitive artificial skin opens up new doors in opportunities in aspects such as robotics, but ultimately will benefit artifical skin graft technology.