New electronic skin can react to pain like human skin

Full article issued by RMIT University.

ARC-supported researchers have developed electronic artificial skin that reacts to pain just like real skin, opening the way to better prosthetics, smarter robotics and non-invasive alternatives to skin grafts.

The prototype device developed by a team at RMIT University can electronically replicate the way human skin senses pain.

The device mimics the body’s near-instant feedback response and can react to painful sensations with the same lighting speed that nerve signals travel to the brain.

Lead researcher Professor Madhu Bhaskaran, an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) recipient, said that the pain-sensing prototype was a significant advance towards next-generation biomedical technologies and intelligent robotics.

The research was supported by a Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities grant.

 

A concept image of electronic skin that can sense touch, pain, and heat. Image Credit: RMIT.