Artificial Skin with Pressure Sensation

Artificial skin is a flexible, skin-like plastic material that can send pressure sensations to the brain. Created by Stanford engineers, this artificial skin can detect how hard it is being pressed and generate an electric Morse code-like signal to deliver this sensory input directly to a living brain cell. It is made up of a two-ply plastic construct: The top layer creates a sensing mechanism and the bottom layer acts as the circuit to transport electrical signals and translate them into biochemical stimuli compatible with nerve cells. This artificial skin replicates one aspect of touch - the sensory mechanism that enables us to distinguish the pressure difference between a limp handshake and a firm grip. Ultimately, the goal is to create a flexible electronic fabric embedded with sensors that can cover a prosthetic limb and replicate some of skin's sensory functions, such as the ability to flex and heal, and send touch, temperature and pain signals to the brain. To learn more about the development of and the research team behind this innovation, please visit: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/october/artificial-skin-bao-101515.html.