Conformal Human-Machine Integration Using Highly Bending-Insensitive, Unpixelated, and Waterproof Epidermal Electronics Toward Metaverse

Chao Wei; Wansheng Lin; Liang Wang; Zhicheng Cao; Zijian Huang; Qingliang Liao; Ziquan Guo; Yuhan Su; Yuanjin Zheng; Xinqin Liao; Zhong Chen

doi:10.1007/s40820-023-01176-5

Conformal Human-Machine Integration Using Highly Bending-Insensitive, Unpixelated, and Waterproof Epidermal Electronics Toward Metaverse

Nanomicro Lett. 2023 Aug 16;15(1):199. doi: 10.1007/s40820-023-01176-5.

Authors

Chao Wei¹, Wansheng Lin¹, Liang Wang², Zhicheng Cao¹, Zijian Huang¹, Qingliang Liao^{3

4}, Ziquan Guo¹, Yuhan Su¹, Yuanjin Zheng⁵, Xinqin Liao⁶, Zhong Chen⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electronic Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, People's Republic of China.
² Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, People's Republic of China.
³ Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Beijing Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Materials and Technologies, School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China.
⁵ School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
⁶ Department of Electronic Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, People's Republic of China. liaoxinqin@xmu.edu.cn.
⁷ Department of Electronic Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, People's Republic of China. chenz@xmu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Efficient and flexible interactions require precisely converting human intentions into computer-recognizable signals, which is critical to the breakthrough development of metaverse. Interactive electronics face common dilemmas, which realize high-precision and stable touch detection but are rigid, bulky, and thick or achieve high flexibility to wear but lose precision. Here, we construct highly bending-insensitive, unpixelated, and waterproof epidermal interfaces (BUW epidermal interfaces) and demonstrate their interactive applications of conformal human-machine integration. The BUW epidermal interface based on the addressable electrical contact structure exhibits high-precision and stable touch detection, high flexibility, rapid response time, excellent stability, and versatile "cut-and-paste" character. Regardless of whether being flat or bent, the BUW epidermal interface can be conformally attached to the human skin for real-time, comfortable, and unrestrained interactions. This research provides promising insight into the functional composite and structural design strategies for developing epidermal electronics, which offers a new technology route and may further broaden human-machine interactions toward metaverse.

Keywords: Addressable electrical contact structure; Carbon-based functional composite; Conformal human–machine integration; Multifunctional epidermal interface; Property modulation.