Multistage micro-structured ionic skin for real-time vital signs
monitoring and human-machine interaction
Abstract
Skin-like electronics research aiming to mimic even surpass human-like
specific tactile cognition by operating
perception-to-cognition-to-feedback of stimulus to build intelligent
cognition systems for certain imperceptible or inappreciable signals was
so attractive. Herein, we constructed an all-in-one wearable device to
address the sensitivity and power supply simultaneously by integrating
multistage micro-structured ionic skin (MM i-skin) and piezoelectric &
thermoelectric dual-mode self-power staffs. The MM i-skin with
multi-stage “interlocked” configurations achieved precise recognition
of subtle signals, where the sensitivity reached up to 77.4 kPa-1, as
well as response time of 46 ms, cyclic stability (over 1500 cycles), and
a pressure detection limit (over 50 kPa). Furthermore, we developed a
piezo/thermo-electricity dual-mode nanogenerator, denoted as P-iskin /
T-iskin, for self-powering the pressure sensor. This self-powered
multifunctional ionic skin enables real-time monitoring of weak body
signals, rehab guidance, and robotic motion recognition, demonstrating
potential for internet of things (IoT) applications involving the
artificial intelligence-motivated sapiential healthcare internet (SHI)
and widely distributed human-machine interaction (HMI).