Article category: Research Article
Subcategory: Thermoelectricity, piezoelectricity, self-powered sensing
Multistage micro-structured ionic skin for real-time vital signs monitoring and human-machine interaction
Xueke Wang, Jinyu Zi, Yi Chen, Qiang Wu, Zhimin Xiang, Yongqiang Tu, Peng Yang, Yanfen Wan*
X. Wang, J. Zi, Y. Chen, Q. Wu, Z. Xiang, Y. Tu, Dr. P. Yang, Prof. Y. Wan
National Center for International Research on Photoelectric and Energy Materials, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Micro/Nano Materials & Technology, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Materials and Devices, School of Materials and Energy, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China.
E-mail: yfwan@ynu.edu.cn
Keywords: skin-like microstructure, bio-template method, ionic skin, dual-mode self-power, integrated device
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).