An optical/electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensing
Abstract Artificial skins are essential for bridging sensory gaps between robots and environments, enabling natural and intuitive interactions. While artificial skins can sense stimuli like pressure and stretchability, their capabilities need to be expanded into chemical sensing for specific applica...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | npj Flexible Electronics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00431-6 |
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| _version_ | 1849760985220382720 |
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| author | Benhui Dai Yingjie Zheng Yihang Qian Xiaoyong Hu Zhizhong Sun Zenghong Ma Guanjun Bao Huaping Wu Xuan Luo Josie Hughes Xiangjiang Liu Yibin Ying Lijuan Xie |
| author_facet | Benhui Dai Yingjie Zheng Yihang Qian Xiaoyong Hu Zhizhong Sun Zenghong Ma Guanjun Bao Huaping Wu Xuan Luo Josie Hughes Xiangjiang Liu Yibin Ying Lijuan Xie |
| author_sort | Benhui Dai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Artificial skins are essential for bridging sensory gaps between robots and environments, enabling natural and intuitive interactions. While artificial skins can sense stimuli like pressure and stretchability, their capabilities need to be expanded into chemical sensing for specific applications. Here, we introduce optical/electronic artificial skins (oe-skins), advancing robotic sensing from physical perception to chemical sensation. Our design integrates optical fibers into a carbon nanotube (CNT)-based haptic electronic skin. This empowers the skin to sense force and temperature, while detecting near-infrared (NIR) optical signals from molecules, giving dual modalities of physical and chemical sensing. We successfully implement the oe-skin into robots, enabling intraocular pressure and glucose level detection for diagnosing glaucoma and diabetes. Additionally, we demonstrated their effectiveness in delicately harvesting fruits and grading them by ripeness, firmness, and sugar levels. We present a blueprint for next-generation intelligent electronics where technological progress aligns with sustainable development and societal well-being. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ab3e4f52d9ab478a829e02c7ca0575a1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2397-4621 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Flexible Electronics |
| spelling | doaj-art-ab3e4f52d9ab478a829e02c7ca0575a12025-08-20T03:06:10ZengNature Portfolionpj Flexible Electronics2397-46212025-08-019111010.1038/s41528-025-00431-6An optical/electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensingBenhui Dai0Yingjie Zheng1Yihang Qian2Xiaoyong Hu3Zhizhong Sun4Zenghong Ma5Guanjun Bao6Huaping Wu7Xuan Luo8Josie Hughes9Xiangjiang Liu10Yibin Ying11Lijuan Xie12College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityCollege of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityCollege of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityCollege of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityCollege of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityFaculty of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Zhejiang Sci-Tech UniversityCollege of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of TechnologyCollege of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University of TechnologyCollege of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityCREATE Lab, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityCollege of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityCollege of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang UniversityAbstract Artificial skins are essential for bridging sensory gaps between robots and environments, enabling natural and intuitive interactions. While artificial skins can sense stimuli like pressure and stretchability, their capabilities need to be expanded into chemical sensing for specific applications. Here, we introduce optical/electronic artificial skins (oe-skins), advancing robotic sensing from physical perception to chemical sensation. Our design integrates optical fibers into a carbon nanotube (CNT)-based haptic electronic skin. This empowers the skin to sense force and temperature, while detecting near-infrared (NIR) optical signals from molecules, giving dual modalities of physical and chemical sensing. We successfully implement the oe-skin into robots, enabling intraocular pressure and glucose level detection for diagnosing glaucoma and diabetes. Additionally, we demonstrated their effectiveness in delicately harvesting fruits and grading them by ripeness, firmness, and sugar levels. We present a blueprint for next-generation intelligent electronics where technological progress aligns with sustainable development and societal well-being.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00431-6 |
| spellingShingle | Benhui Dai Yingjie Zheng Yihang Qian Xiaoyong Hu Zhizhong Sun Zenghong Ma Guanjun Bao Huaping Wu Xuan Luo Josie Hughes Xiangjiang Liu Yibin Ying Lijuan Xie An optical/electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensing npj Flexible Electronics |
| title | An optical/electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensing |
| title_full | An optical/electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensing |
| title_fullStr | An optical/electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensing |
| title_full_unstemmed | An optical/electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensing |
| title_short | An optical/electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensing |
| title_sort | optical electronic artificial skin extends the robotic sense to molecular sensing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00431-6 |
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