A group of scientists is working on designing a material that can mimic the ability of human skin to feel touch, and they are using a dessert popular with children and hospital cafes to make it.
It sounds futuristic, but research conducted at the University of British Columbia would offer the prosthesis wearer or robotic arm a more natural and comfortable feel.
Most so-called “smart skins” are made of metals and plastics, but some, called ionic skins, are made of more flexible materials.
These hydrogels use ions to carry an electric charge, which means that when they touch, the “skin” can generate tension. This was known, according to a UBC statement summarizing the team’s peer-reviewed work, which was published on Thursday, but what was not clear was how this happened.
So a then-Master in Biomedical Engineering program at the University of British Columbia came up with a way to incorporate hydrogel sensors of various sizes into the skin.
Uta Dobashi then worked with others in the school’s physics and chemistry departments to apply magnetic fields. This allowed them to observe how the ions moved.
And to demonstrate this movement, they used an unlikely substance: a jelly dessert similar to what children can take to school as a lunch treat, or what the hospital can serve its patients.
“When pressure is applied to the gel, that pressure disperses the ions in the liquid at different speeds, creating an electrical signal,” Dobashi said in a UBC news release. Dobashi is currently completing his doctorate in Toronto, but began work while earning a master’s degree.
Because the positive and negative ions contained in the salt inside the sensors move at different speeds, “this leads to an uneven distribution of ions, which creates an electric field,” he said.
This answered the question “how” of scientists.
For those less familiar with the concept, the researchers said it means that these hydrogels used in ionic skins actually work in a similar way to human skin. Then the ions also move in response to the pressure.
This is exciting news for those who see the consequences of the work.
According to the professor of electrical engineering and computer engineering at UBC, who is in charge of the work, this means that sensors can be created that can interact with the nervous system.
“You can imagine a prosthetic arm covered with ionic leather. “The skin senses an object by touch or pressure, transmits this information through the nerves to the brain, and then the brain activates the motors needed to lift or hold the object,” said Madden.
“With the further development of sensory skin and nerve interfaces, this bionic interface is possible.”
Another way science can be used is to monitor the patient’s heart rate, blood pressure and temperature, rather than the systems currently used in hospitals.
At one point, these jelly-like materials could be used for implants such as artificial knees and hips and could even release drugs based on how much pressure they feel.
The study was published in Science, an academic journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science that has existed since the late 1800s.
Leading author of the study, Utah Dobashi, who completed UBC’s master’s program in biomedical engineering, is shown. (Kai Jacobson / UBC Faculty of Applied Sciences)
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