A Readily Manufacturable Biomimetic Capacitive E‐Skin for Sensing, Recognition, and Interactive Control in Electromagnetically Complex Environments
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Electronic skins (e-skins) for robots should function not only as tactile sensors but also as soft interfaces enabling perception, recognition, and reliable interaction in electromagnetically complex environments. By mimicking the pore-canal-alveolus architecture and noncontact sensing functionality of the Ampullae of Lorenzini (AL), this work develops an AL-inspired capacitive e-skin (ALC e-skin) capable of multimodal sensing, material recognition, interactive control, and stretchable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding within a single soft platform. The ALC e-skin is fabricated through a scalable blade-spin coating strategy that forms continuous liquid metal (LM) films on the beaded electrospun fibers. It also achieves a proximity detection range of 250 mm, a broad pressure sensing range up to 260 kPa, and excellent linearity in stretch sensing. The ALC e-skin is further used to demonstrate a robotic recognition and gripping system that accurately recognizes, grips, and sorts four objects with different materials, as well as a multimodal control board that converts proximity, touch, and pressure signals into reliable servo motor commands. Importantly, ALC e-skin provides stretchable EMI shielding, acting as a flexible Faraday cage for robotic systems. This work establishes a scalable route to multifunctional and electromagnetically robust e-skins for robots operating in complex real-world environments.
Source: Small
DOI: 10.1002/smll.75006
Authors: Yifeng Ruan, Jiangsong Hou, Yiyang Li, Jiang Du, Jun Qiu
Institution: Tongji University
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: G2921033627, G2989426302
OpenAlex ID: W7204265791