Artificial multimodal receptors based on ion relaxation dynamics

Science. 2020 Nov 20;370(6519):961-965. doi: 10.1126/science.aba5132.

Abstract

Human skin has different types of tactile receptors that can distinguish various mechanical stimuli from temperature. We present a deformable artificial multimodal ionic receptor that can differentiate thermal and mechanical information without signal interference. Two variables are derived from the analysis of the ion relaxation dynamics: the charge relaxation time as a strain-insensitive intrinsic variable to measure absolute temperature and the normalized capacitance as a temperature-insensitive extrinsic variable to measure strain. The artificial receptor with a simple electrode-electrolyte-electrode structure simultaneously detects temperature and strain by measuring the variables at only two measurement frequencies. The human skin-like multimodal receptor array, called multimodal ion-electronic skin (IEM-skin), provides real-time force directions and strain profiles in various tactile motions (shear, pinch, spread, torsion, and so on).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Body Temperature*
  • Electric Impedance
  • Humans
  • Ion-Selective Electrodes
  • Receptors, Artificial*
  • Shear Strength
  • Skin Physiological Phenomena*
  • Torsion, Mechanical
  • Touch*

Substances

  • Receptors, Artificial