New Stretchable E-skin Developed can Heal Itself

A new electronic skin has been developed that can feel and heal itself. It is an advancement in technology where the e-skin skin is stretchable and can be used in prosthetics, drug-infused wound patches and wearable technology.

The //artificial skin can stretch by more than 3,400 percent, can quickly return to its original form and has sensitivity to touch. It is made of hydrogel and a metal carbide and sticks to many surfaces. When cut into pieces, it can quickly mend itself upon reattachment, the researchers said.

Self-healing Electronic Skin Developed
Scientists develop electronic skin that can repair itself. The E-skin can be used in biomedical devices like artificial limbs and prosthetics.

‘Novel e-skin can sense changes in the skin and later, convert them into electronic signals.’

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"Our material outperforms all previously reported hydrogels and introduces new functionalities," said Husam Alshareef, Professor at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.

"The material's differing sensitivity to stretching and compression is a breakthrough discovery that adds a new dimension to the sensing capability of hydrogels," added lead author Yizhou Zhang, a postdoctoral student at the varsity.

It could be crucial in applications that sense changes in the skin and convert them into electronic signals.

'Electronic Skin' - The Latest on Research
Skin is the largest organ in the body and communicates even the most subtle touch. This helps in making quick reaction from time-to-time.

A thin slab of the material attached to a user's forehead, for example, can distinguish between different facial expressions, such as a smile or a frown. This ability could allow patients with extreme paralysis to control electronic equipment and communicate.

Strips of the material attached to the throat also have impressive abilities to convert speech into electronic signals. This might allow people with speech difficulties to be clearly heard, the researchers noted, in the paper detailed in the journal Science Advances.

Ultrathin Electronic Skin to Measure Heart Rate and Blood Oxygen Level
The e-skin measures the blood oxygen level when stuck on a finger. It contains microelectronic components that light up in red, blue and green on the surface of the body.

Other extremely useful medical possibilities include flexible wound coverings that can release drugs to promote healing. These could be applied internally, to diseased organs, in addition to adhering externally to the skin.

The material could also serve in touch-sensitive finger-like extensions for machinery.

Easy 'Electronic Skin' Patches to Monitor Your Health
Researchers are developing an 'electronic skin' patch - as thin as a human hair - that patients can put onto their arms to wirelessly diagnose health problems or deliver treatments.

Source-IANS