Over the past decade, advancements in bionic prosthetics have enabled the simulation of sensations like pressure and heat. Yet, the full spectrum of human touch—including pain—remains a challenge. Researchers at South Korea's Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) have developed an innovative electronic skin that allows prosthetic users and robots to perceive a broader range of tactile stimuli, including pain.
Prosthetic technology has advanced significantly, but replicating everyday sensations remains complex. This new 'electronic skin' from DGIST promises to simulate pain-like responses, such as stinging or warmth, helping robots better interpret tactile feedback.
Replicating human senses has driven cutting-edge research. While recent efforts have enhanced pressure and force detection in prosthetics, subtler sensations like pain demand multidisciplinary innovation.
Led by Professor Jae Eun Jang from DGIST's Department of Information and Communication Engineering, in collaboration with the Robotics and Brain group, the team detailed their prototype in the journal Soft Robotics.
“We have developed core technology that can effectively detect pain, which is needed to develop a future touch sensor. As an achievement of convergence research by experts in nanotechnology, electronic engineering, robotics engineering, and brain science, it will be widely used to develop electronic skin that feels different senses as well as novel human-computer interactions,” explains Jang.
The result is a highly efficient sensor that detects pressure and heat simultaneously, paired with a signal processing system that modulates pain responses based on pressure intensity, contact area, and temperature.
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At the heart of this technology is a zinc oxide nanowire, leveraging two key physical properties:
“If robots can also feel pain, our research will go further into the field of technology to control the aggressive tendency of robots, which is one of the risk factors for the development of AI,” notes Jang. While pain-sensing robots are still emerging, this work bridges the gap between science fiction and practical robotics.
