Researchers from the Stanford University have developed Intelligent skin – A new type of stretchy biocompatible material that is sprayed at the back of the hand, like a suntan spray. Integrated with the mesh is a small electrical network, which senses when the skin extends and turns.
By using artificial intelligence, this new skin can help researchers understand numerous daily tasks from hand movements and gestures. Scientists believe that this may apply and implications in fields such as games, sport, telemedicine and robotics.
Innovation here is an electrically sprayed network of mesh built into polyurethane, which is a durable but stretch material. The mesh consists of millions of nanodruts that are contact with each other, creating dynamic electric routes. This mesh is electrically active, biocompatible, breathable and remains turned on, unless rubbed into soap and water. It can be strictly in line with the wrinkles and folds of any human finger.
“When the fingers bend and twist, the nanodruts in the mesh are squeezed and stretched, changing the electrical conductivity of the mesh. These changes can be measured and analyzed to tell exactly how the hand moves, with a finger or joint” – explained Zhenan Bao, KK Lee chemical engineering and the senior author.
Scientists decided to approach spraying directly on the skin so that the mesh was kept without a ground. This key engineering solution eliminated the inaccuracy of unwanted movement and allowed them to use a single trace of the leading net to generate many finger stands.
Thanks to machine learning, computers can monitor changes in conductivity models and map changing patterns to specific physical tasks and gestures. For example, enter X on the keyboard, and the algorithm learns to recognize this task from variable electrical conductivity patterns. After proper training of the algorithm, the physical keyboard is no longer required. The same rules can be used to recognize sign language, and even to recognize objects by tracking their external surfaces.
