A group of researchers at Tianjin University in China has developed an electronicskin (e-skin) that can operate in temperatures as low as -78 degrees Celsius. Such a skin would be effective in other activities and applications.
Electronic skin created that works in low temperatures
This new material would allow new generations of automatons to perceive their environment and perform tasks with greater precision in extreme weather conditions. In addition, e-skin is highly elastic, self-healing and sensitive to touch. Its design allows robotic hands to be covered, providing crucial tactile feedback in harsh polar environments.
This innovative technology, published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, was developed by a team of Chinese researchers led by Zhang Lei and Yang Jing of Tianjin University‘s School of Chemical Engineering and Technology.
According to Yang, the new electronic skin is a comprehensive upgrade from its previous 2020 version, which was weatherproof and self-healing. Now, with its new features, the e-skin becomes an invaluable tool for polar exploration, accurately detecting force, pressure and other shape and symbol recognition even at -78 degrees Celsius.
Extreme weather conditions for the skin
On the other hand, the latter quality makes the e-skin ideal for long-term scientific research missions in arctic or polar conditions. The researchers expect this new breakthrough to have an impact on China’s current polar exploration projects and other fields of research.
Robots equipped with this e-skin will be able to perform more complex and precise tasks in polar environments, allowing scientists to gain new knowledge and make important discoveries, which were previously impossible due to climatic conditions.
Extreme cold-resistant electronic skin could solve specific challenges in the field of polar research. However, it will take some patience to see the first applications of this technology in exploration robots.
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Source: Tianjin University
Photo: Shutterstock
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