Multifunctional electronic skin using site-specifically designed silicon nanoribbon devices

Abstract

Advances in prosthetic technology facilitate amputees restoring movements to the missing body parts. An accurate restoring motor function of missing parts requires feedback of sensory signals from the prosthesis as actual human skin. However, despite the advances, providing sensory function to prosthesis and connecting the sensory function to the nerve system are still challenging. To provide prosthesis with sensing abilities, researches on electronic skin with various sensors and materials were conducted. But with limited performances such as stretchability, detection range, and spatio-temporal resolution, it was difficult to mimic actual human skin. Here, a stretchable, electronic skin with various sensing capabilities: strain, pressure, and humidity is demonstrated. Using site-specifically designed monocrystalline silicon nanoribbon, high sensitivity and enhanced range of sensing ability under the skin deformation are achieved. For connecting the signals from electronic skin to the nervous system, transmission of sensed signals to the nervous system is performed, from the peripheral nerve to the brain, using stretchable multi-electrode arrays decorated with neuro-protective nanoparticles. Combined with sensory and actuating functions, this system provides an effective solution for emerging classes of prostheses.