Scientists have recently designed a new type of electronic artificial skin sensor that responds to pain similarly to real skin. This novel breakthrough can pave the way for smart robots, better restorative technologies, and non-invasive alternatives to skin grafts.

A skin-like sensing prototype device made from stretchable electronics.A research team at RMIT University developed a prototype device that electronically simulates the way human skin perceives pain.

This novel device mimics the body's near-instantaneous feedback response and can react quickly to painful sensations, at the same speed at which nerve signals reach the brain.

According to lead researcher and Professor Madhu Bhaskaran, this pain-sensing device represents a significant advance in smart robotics technology and advanced biomedical technology.

The skin is our body's largest sensory organ, with complex functions designed to send rapid-fire warning signals when any injury occurs. We constantly perceive things through our skin, but our pain response only triggers at specific points, such as when we touch objects that are too hot or too sharp.said Lead Researcher and Professor RMIT Madhu Bhaskaran.

Bhaskaran continued, "Until now, no electronic technology has been able to realistically mimic this very human sensation of pain. Our artificial skin reacts immediately when pressure, heat, or cold reaches a painful threshold. This is a key step in the development of future complex feedback systems, which we need to deliver truly intelligent prosthetics and smart robots."

Functional Sensor Prototype

In addition to the pain-sensing prototype, the researchers designed devices using stretchable electronics. These electronics can sense and respond to changes in pressure and temperature.

Bhaskaran is also co-leader of the Functional Materials and Microsystems Group at RMIT University. He added that the development of these three functional models aims to provide the key features of the skin's sensing potential in electronic form.

With further advances, new, stretchable artificial skin could also serve as a future option for non-invasive skin grafts, where traditional methods are either ineffective or not feasible.

We need further development to integrate this technology into biomedical applications, but the basic principles (biocompatibility, skin-like stretchability) are already in place.RMIT UniversityLeadsaid Lead Researcher and Professor Madhu Bhaskaran.

How to make an electronic skin sensor?

This new research integrates three technologies that the researchers have pioneered and patented. The study has been published in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems and has received a provisional patent.

Stretchable Electronics - By integrating biocompatible silicone with oxide materials, these electronics provide wearable, robust, and transparent electronics that are as thin as a sticker.

Temperature-Responsive Coating - Based on materials that respond to heat conversion, these self-modifying coatings are 1000 times thinner than a single human hair.

Mimicking Brain Memory - Electronic memory cells that simulate the brain's use of long-term memory to collect and retain earlier information.

The thermal sensor combines memory and the temperature-responsive coating. The pressure sensor model integrates long-term storage units and stretchable electronics; the pain sensor fuses all three technologies.

Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Ataur Rahman said that the memory units in each prototype initiate an immediate response when pain, heat, or pressure reaches a set threshold.

We have essentially created the first electronic somatosensors, replicating key features of the complex systems of neurons, neural pathways, and receptors in the human body that drive our perception of sensory stimuli.said Dr. Ataur Rahman, a postdoctoral researcher at RMIT University.

Rahman continued, "Although some existing technologies already use electrical signals to simulate varying degrees of pain, these new devices can respond to actual mechanical pressure, temperature, and pain, and provide the correct electronic response."

"This means our artificial skin knows the difference between gently touching a pin with a finger and accidentally pricking oneself—a key distinction never before achieved electronically," Rahman further added.

The research was funded by the Australian Research Council and conducted at the Advanced Micro-Nano Research Facility at RMIT University, which is dedicated to device prototyping and micro/nano fabrication.

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