Giving artificial skin the same sensitivity as a human finger
APR 29, 2013
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026969
BBC : Piezoelectric materials generate electricity when subjected to physical stresses. When the material is also a nanoscale semiconducting wire, the material can act as a transistor. Zhong Lin Wang of Georgia Tech and his colleagues used zinc oxide nanowires to create an array of about 8000 such transistors. When the array is pressed against an object, each of the wires individually produces an electrical signal. The combination of the size of the array and the density of the wires produces a sensitivity comparable to that of a human fingertip. The arrays could be incorporated into artificial skin materials to produce signals that are transmitted to nerve cells. They could also be used to create better tactile sensitivity in robotics.
© 2013 American Institute of Physics
