Multisensory electronic skin with decoupled pressure–temperature-sensing capabilities for similar object recognition

Abstract

Multisensory electronic skin (e-skin), which mimics the tactile capabilities of human skin, is pivotal in equipping robots with intelligent perceptual functions. Despite numerous advances in multifunctional perceptions, e-skin with combined mechano- and thermosensation capabilities for accurately recognizing objects with similar characteristics is still challenging. Here, we report a multisensory e-skin with a skin-like multilayer construction for smart perceptions, which features the patterned protrusion texture mimicking the skin texture to enhance the pressure-sensing sensitivity, the temperature-sensing component mimicking the thermoreceptors, the pressure-sensing component mimicking the mechanoreceptors, and the heater mimicking the body heat source. This multisensory e-skin exhibits excellent decoupled sensing performances of pressure and temperature, enabling the development of a haptic perception system for evaluating some discernible characteristics (e.g., shape and size) and experience-driven features (e.g., modulus and thermal conductivity) of objects through a simple grasp. Demonstrations of accurate recognition and automatic classification of various objects even with extremely similar surface features highlight the significant potential of this multisensory e-skin in applications such as intelligent soft robotics, prosthetics, and other related fields.