25th Anniversary Article: The Evolution of Electronic Skin (E‐Skin): A Brief History, Design Considerations, and Recent Progress

Abstract

Human skin is a remarkable organ. It consists of an integrated, stretchable network of sensors that relay information about tactile and thermal stimuli to the brain, allowing us to maneuver within our environment safely and effectively. Interest in large-area networks of electronic devices inspired by human skin is motivated by the promise of creating autonomous intelligent robots and biomimetic prosthetics, among other applications. The development of electronic networks comprised of flexible, stretchable, and robust devices that are compatible with large-area implementation and integrated with multiple functionalities is a testament to the progress in developing an electronic skin (e-skin) akin to human skin. E-skins are already capable of providing augmented performance over their organic counterpart, both in superior spatial resolution and thermal sensitivity. They could be further improved through the incorporation of additional functionalities (e.g., chemical and biological sensing) and desired properties (e.g., biodegradability and self-powering). Continued rapid progress in this area is promising for the development of a fully integrated e-skin in the near future.

Porous Ionic Membrane Based Flexible Humidity Sensor and its Multifunctional Applications

“…Recently, flexible electronic devices have gotten increasing attentions for potential applications in individual medical care, health assessment, sports monitoring, etc 1, 2, 3. Especially, the rapid advances in the design of various flexible sensors have tremendously broadened the scope of flexible electronics to new classes of soft electronic systems 4, 5.…”

Solution‐Processed Bilayer Dielectrics for Flexible Low‐Voltage Organic Field‐Effect Transistors in Pressure‐Sensing Applications

“…Over the past decade, electronic skin (e‐skin) has been developed as a viable technology to mimic temperature, humidity, pressure, and strain sensing of human skin 1, 2, 3. As a basic part of e‐skin, pressure sensors are attracting growing attention because they can detect tiny pressure change by converting an external force to electrical or other recognized signals 4, 5.…”

Toward Perceptive Soft Robots: Progress and Challenges

“…In the past decade, remarkable progress was attained in developing flexible thin electronic skins (tactile sensing skins),46 benefiting from advances in printing techniques, flexible (in)organic electronics, and advanced materials. Notable examples include an ultralightweight, tactile sensing array with integrated organic electronics,47 a fully printed flexible tactile skin for triaxis force and temperature sensing,48 etc.…”