A neuromorphic robotic electronic skin with active pain and injury perception
Abstract
Humanoid robots with advanced sensory capabilities are increasingly demanded for empathetic, close-contact interactions with humans. Electronic skin (E-skin) is a key enabling technology for such tactile perception. However, current E-skins are limited to basic tactile sensing with simple circuit architecture. Here, we introduce a neuromorphic robotic e-skin (NRE-skin) that not only provides fundamental tactile sensing but also integrates advanced features, such as active pain and injury detection. The NRE-skin encodes dynamic tactile stimuli into neural-like pulse trains and features active pain detection that triggers protective reflexes. Additionally, its injury sensing and modular design enable precise localization of damaged areas and rapid replacement of affected skin. By emulating human sensory and protective systems, the NRE-skin facilitates more natural and safer human–robot interactions.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (21)
Yuyu Gao
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
Jianpeng Zhang
Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies
Hehua Zhang
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
Lung Chow
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
Guangyao Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry and ChemicalEngineering; Center of Advanced Electrochemical Energy (CAEE), Institute of AdvancedInterdisciplinary Studies
Guihuan Guo
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
Chun Ki Yiu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
Binbin Zhang
School of Integrated Circuits and Electronics, MIIT Key Laboratory for Low-Dimensional Quantum Structure and Devices
Ya Huang
Jingkun Zhou
Qiang Zhang
Tao Huang
Yuan Guo
Interdisciplinary Materials Research Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering
Jian Li
Jiyu Li
Xingcan Huang
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
Zhenlin Chen
Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry
Zhenyu Liu
Yuze Qiu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong
Chuanfei Guo
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology
Xinge Yu