An electronic skin developed by scientists can react to pain just like real skin, in a potential breakthrough for prosthetics and high-tech alternatives to skin grafts.
The prototype developed by researchers at RMIT University (formerly known as Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) in Australia is capable of electronically replicating the way human skin senses pain.
It copies the way real skin can send instantaneous signals to the brain in response to painful sensations, as well as in response to pressure or temperature changes.
Lead researcher Professor Madhu Bhaskaran described it as “a significant advance towards next-generation biomedical technologies and intelligent robotics”.
“Skin is our body’s largest sensory organ, with complex features designed to send rapid-fire warning signals when anything hurts,” Professor Bhaskaran said.
“We’re sensing things all the time through the skin but our pain response only kicks in at a certain point, like when we touch something too hot or too sharp.
“No electronic technologies have been able to realistically mimic that very human feeling of pain – until now. Our artificial skin reacts instantly when pressure, heat or cold reach a painful threshold.
“It’s a critical step forward in the future development of the sophisticated feedback systems that we need to deliver truly smart prosthetics and intelligent robotics.”
The team at RMIT developed three prototype devices using stretchable electronics, which sense and respond to changes in temperature and pressure, delivering key features of skin’s sensing capability in electronic form.
They hope that with further development, the stretchable artificial skin could replace skin grafts in cases where a traditional approach might not be feasible.
“We need further development to integrate this technology into biomedical applications but the fundamentals – biocompatibility, skin-like stretchability – are already there,” Professor Bhaskaran added.