Scientists Succeeded In Developing Synthetic Leather That Can Be Painful

Artificial synthetic leather illustration (Image Credit: RMIT University)

JAKARTA - Researchers from RMIT University have succeeded in making a new innovation, namely electronic artificial skin that can feel pain. This marks a significant advance towards next-generation biomedical technology, such as the creation of smart prosthetics, and even smart robots.

It is known from the Ubergizmo report, Monday, September 7, that this skin is made using a thin electronic device equipped with a pressure sensor, a temperature reactive layer, and memory cells such as the brain.

"The skin is our body's largest sensory organ, with complex features designed to send out quick warning signals when someone is sick. We feel something all the time through the skin, but our pain response only appears at certain points, such as when we touch something too much. hot or too sharp, "said lead researcher Professor Madhu Bhaskaran.

The initial development of research seemed to produce skin sensitive enough to distinguish between pain that might be felt by stabbing oneself as well as with sharp objects.

"No electronic technology has been able to realistically mimic this very human pain to date. Our artificial skins react instantly when pressure, heat or cold reaches a painful threshold," Bhaskaran said.

"This is an important step forward in the development of future state-of-the-art feedback systems that we need to deliver truly intelligent prosthetics and intelligent robotics," he added.

Bhaskaran explained that later skin that can feel this kind of pain is also useful in cases where diabetics have lost the pain in their legs. So, using skin that can feel pain can tell them if he is stepping on something to prevent infection that can eventually lead to amputation of the limb.

As well as working on a prototype of this pain-sensing skin, the researchers have also developed an electronic stretchable device. These devices can not only detect but also respond to changes in temperature and pressure.

With further developments, stretchable artificial skin may become an option for non-invasive skin grafts when traditional approaches are not a viable option or may not work in the future.

"We need further development to integrate this technology into biomedical applications, but the fundamentals of biocompatibility, skin-like stretchability are there," Bhaskaran said.