Macromol. Rapid Commun. - Human Skin-Mimicking Ionogel-Based Electronic Skin for Intelligent Robotic Sorting

Xuemeng Xia, Xinyi Cao, Bao Zhang, Leiqian Zhang, Jiancheng Dong, Jingjing Qin, Pengyang Xuan, Leyao Liu, Yi Sun, Wei Fan, Shengjie Ling*, Johan Hofkens, Feili Lai*, Tianxi Liu*

Macromolecular Rapid Communications 2024, DOI: 10.1002/marc.202400379

Creating bionic intelligent robotic systems that emulate human-like skin perception presents a considerable scientific challenge. This study introduces a multifunctional bionic electronic skin (e-skin) made from polyacrylic acid ionogel (PAIG), designed to detect human motion signals and transmit them to robotic systems for recognition and classification. The PAIG is synthesized using a suspension of liquid metal and graphene oxide nanosheets as initiators and cross-linkers. The resulting PAIGs demonstrate excellent mechanical properties, resistance to freezing and drying, and self-healing capabilities. Functionally, the PAIG effectively captures human motion signals through electromechanical sensing. Furthermore, a bionic intelligent sorting robot system is developed by integrating the PAIG-based e-skin with a robotic manipulator. This system leverages its ability to detect frictional electrical signals, enabling precise identification and sorting of materials. The innovations presented in this study hold significant potential for applications in artificial intelligence, rehabilitation training, and intelligent classification systems.

Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.202400379