Printed synaptic transistor-based electronic skin for robots to feel and learn

Sci Robot. 2022 Jun;7(67):eabl7286. doi: 10.1126/scirobotics.abl7286. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Abstract

An electronic skin (e-skin) for the next generation of robots is expected to have biological skin-like multimodal sensing, signal encoding, and preprocessing. To this end, it is imperative to have high-quality, uniformly responding electronic devices distributed over large areas and capable of delivering synaptic behavior with long- and short-term memory. Here, we present an approach to realize synaptic transistors (12-by-14 array) using ZnO nanowires printed on flexible substrate with 100% yield and high uniformity. The presented devices show synaptic behavior under pulse stimuli, exhibiting excitatory (inhibitory) post-synaptic current, spiking rate-dependent plasticity, and short-term to long-term memory transition. The as-realized transistors demonstrate excellent bio-like synaptic behavior and show great potential for in-hardware learning. This is demonstrated through a prototype computational e-skin, comprising event-driven sensors, synaptic transistors, and spiking neurons that bestow biological skin-like haptic sensations to a robotic hand. With associative learning, the presented computational e-skin could gradually acquire a human body-like pain reflex. The learnt behavior could be strengthened through practice. Such a peripheral nervous system-like localized learning could substantially reduce the data latency and decrease the cognitive load on the robotic platform.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Conditioning, Classical
  • Electronics
  • Humans
  • Neurons
  • Robotics*
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*