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Ultra-sensitive electronic skin modeled after the human brain

Based on joint research with Professor Jaehyuk Lim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Professor Youngu Lee of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST; President Kunwoo Lee ), has successfully developed an ultrasensitive pressure sensor for electronic skin modeled after the nervous system of the human brain. This technology is applicable to future devices, including AI-based digital health devices, and is expected to be used in various fields, such as transparent displays and wearable devices, due to its transparency and physical flexibility.

Pressure sensors are devices that detect a slight change or force and convert it into signals. They are used in smartphones and healthcare devices to detect touch, heart rate and muscle movements. Like human skin, pressure sensor-based e-skin detects slight pressure, which is why it is used in many different applications, including wearable devices, medical monitoring devices, and sensory systems for robots. To use electronic skin for more practical purposes, it is essential to go beyond simple pressure detection and achieve greater sensitivity, transparency and flexibility. In this context, many studies are being carried out to improve performance.

The research team led by Professor Lee developed a pressure sensor that emulates the way the human brain transmits signals. The brain transmits signals in complex and rapid ways as neurons and glial cells work together. Professor Lee’s team created a nanoparticle network modeled after this structure and designed a pressure sensor sensitive to slight pressure.

The pressure sensor developed in this study is not only very sensitive but also very transparent and flexible. It can detect slight changes, such as in heart rate and finger movements, as well as the pressure of water droplets. In addition, it works stably even after 10,000 repeated uses and its performance does not decrease even in hot or humid environments.

Professor Lee from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST said: “Based on this study, we successfully developed a touch sensor applicable to next-generation electronic skin with transparency and flexibility. Hopefully, research on the basic mechanism of How Sensor work will continue, leading to the development of artificial touch sensors that simulate human skin and the technological development of transparent displays for commercialization.”

This study was jointly conducted by Jiwoo Koo, a doctoral program student at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University; Dr. Jongyoon Kim from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, DGIST; Dr. Myungseok Ko, Jeonbuk National University; Professor Youngu Lee, DGIST; and Professor Jaehyuk Lim, Jeonbuk National University. Additionally, the study was funded by the Mid-Career Research Project of the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Sustainable Solar Energy Utilization Engineering Research Center Project, and its results were published in the October issue of 2024 magazine Chemical Engineering Magazinean international journal in the field of chemical engineering.

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