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Bioinspired soft electroreceptors for artificial precontact somatosensation
Zi Hao Guo1,2, Hai Lu Wang1, Jiajia Shao1,2
1Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, P. R. China.
Science Advances
|May 27, 2022
Summary
Inspired by sharks, this study introduces a soft artificial electroreceptor that detects approaching targets before physical contact. This novel sensor encodes precontact information into voltage pulses, enabling new human-interfaced electronic applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomimetic engineering
- Robotics
- Human-computer interaction
Background:
- Current haptic sensors lack precontact sensing capabilities, limiting human-interfaced applications.
- Elasmobranch fishes utilize electroreception for remote environmental perception, offering a biological model for advanced sensing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and develop a soft artificial electroreceptor inspired by elasmobranch electroreception.
- To enable precontact sensing for enhanced human-interfaced electronic functionalities.
Main Methods:
- Development of an elastomeric electret-based soft artificial electroreceptor.
- Encoding of environmental precontact information into voltage pulses.
- Demonstration of applications in prewarning systems, robotic control, gaming, and 3D object recognition.
Main Results:
- The artificial electroreceptor successfully detects approaching targets before physical contact.
- Environmental precontact events are reliably encoded into distinct voltage pulses.
- The device demonstrates versatility across multiple human-interfaced applications.
Conclusions:
- The developed soft artificial electroreceptor mimics shark electroreception for precontact sensing.
- This technology expands the capabilities of human-interfaced electronics by providing precontact event perception.
- Potential applications range from advanced robotics to immersive gaming experiences.
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