1. Multilayered e-dermis design and characterization.
Multilayered e-dermis design and characterization. (A) The multilayered e-dermis is made up of conductive and piezoresistive textiles encased in rubber. A dermal layer of two piezoresistive sensing elements is separated from the epidermal layer, which has one piezoresistive sensing element, with a 1-mm layer of silicone rubber. The e-dermis was fabricated to fit over the fingertips of a prosthetic hand. (B) The natural layering of mechanoreceptors in healthy glabrous skin makes use of both RA and SA receptors to encode the complex properties of touch. Free nerve endings (nociceptors) that are primarily responsible for conveying the sensation of pain in the fingertips are also present in the skin. (C) The prosthesis with e-dermis fingertip sensors grasps an object. (D) The epidermal layer of the multilayered e-dermis design is more sensitive and has a larger change in resistance compared with the dermal layer. (E) Differences in sensing layer outputs are captured during object grasping and can be used for adding dimensionality to the tactile signal.
Luke E. Osborn et al. Sci. Robotics 2018;3:eaat3818
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