FLEXIBLE ELECTRONIC SKIN

A Seminar Report Submitted

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements
for the Degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
in

ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

by

Mr. Ajay Yadav

(Roll No.: 1604331002)

Under the Guidance of

Dr. D. C. Dhubkariya
(Associate Professor)

to the
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

BUNDELKHAND INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING &

TECHNOLOGY, JHANSI
(An Autonomous Institute Funded by the U.P. Government)

January, 2019
 CERTIFICATE

Certified that AJAY YADAV (1604331002) has carried out the research work presented in
this thesis entitled “Flexible electronic skin” for the award of Bachelor of Technology
from Bundelkhand Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jhansi under my
supervision. The thesis embodies results of original work, and studies are carried out by the
student himself and the contents of the thesis do not form the basis for the award of any other
degree to the candidate or to anybody else from this or any other University/Institution.

Signature

Dr. D. C. Dhubkariya
(Associate Professor)

Bundelkhand Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jhansi

Date: 29/01/2019

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page no.
Certificate ii
Abstract iii
Acknowledgements vi
List of Figures v
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1-3
CHAPTER 2: EVOLUTION 4-5
CHAPTER 3: ARCHITECTURE OF E-SKIN 6-9
CHAPTER 4: FABRICATION OF E-SKIN 10 - 16
4.1 BY USING ZINC OXIDE WITH VERTICAL NANOWIRES 10
4.2 BY USING GALLIUM INDIUM 11
4.3 BY USING ORGANIC TRANSISTORS 12
4.4 BY USING ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE 14
4.5 WORKING OF E-SKIN BY OLED 16
CHAPTER 5: FEATURES 17 - 23
5.1 DESIRABLE PROPERTIES FOR E-SKIN 18
5.1.1 Biocompatibility and Biodegradability 18
5.1.2 Self -healing 19
5.1.3 Temperature sensitivity 19
5.1.4 Self – Powering 20
5.2 HIGHLY INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC SKIN DEVICES 21
5.2.1 Biomedical Devices 21
5.2.2 Robotics 22
5.2.3 Optoelectronics 23
CHAPTER 6: RESULT AND ANALYSIS BY APPLICATIONS 24 - 25
6.1 ADVANTAGES 24
6.2 APPLICATIONS 24
CHAPTER 7: FUTURE SCOPE AND CONCLUSION 26
CHAPTER 8: REFERENCE 27
 ABSTRACT

Human skin is an important organ. It consists of an integrated, stretchable network of

sensors that relay information about tactile and thermal stimuli to the brain, allowing us to
move the organs within our environment safely and effectively. Inspired by human skin an
ELECTRONIC SKIN is created by artificial means used for autonomous intelligent robots
and biometric 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) 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.

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am thankful to my guide Dr. D. C. Dhubkariya, Associate Professor for his valuable

guidance and encouragement. His helping attitude and suggestions have helped in the successful
completion of the seminar report.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those who helped directly or indirectly to
transform an idea into my working seminar report.

I would like to express our gratefulness and sincere thanks to Dr. D.K. Srivastava, Head of
the Department of ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING, for his kind help
and encouragement during the course of my study and in the successful completion of the seminar
report. I would like to express our hearty thanks to Prof. V.K. Tyagi, Director, BIET, Jhansi

Successful completion of any seminar report cannot be done without proper support and
encouragement. I sincerely thanks to Management for providing all the necessary facilities during
the Course of study.

I would like to thank my parents and friends, who have the greatest contributions in all my
achievements, for the great care and blessings in making as successful in all my endeavors.

AJAY YADAV

(Roll no.: 1604331002)

iv
 TABLE OF FIGURES

S.NO. LIST OF FIGURES PAGE

1. Artificial skin 1

2. Recent progress in electronic skin 2

3. Evolution of e-skin 5

4. Architecture of electronic skin 6

5. Island carrying electronic surface 7

6. Detailed view of inner circuit of electronic skin 8

7. E-skin attaches to hand 9

8. Zinc oxide with vertical nanowires e-skin 10

9. Gallium indium e-skin 11

10. E-skin by using organic transistors 12

11. Array of PDMS 13

12. E-skin using OLED 15

13. Internal structure of e-skin 16

14. Flexibility of e-skin 17

15. Self-healing 19

16. Self-powering 20
17. Demonstration of stretchable lithium ion batteries 21

18. E-skin robot 22

19. Highly integrated e-skins for robotics and 23

optoelectronic applications

20. E-skin can monitor heart 24

21. Smart bandage using e-skin 25

22. Virtual screens for knowing body functioning 26

v
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

The Evolution in robotics is demanding increased perception of the environment.

Human skin provides sensory perception of temperature, touch/pressure, and air flow. Goal
is to develop sensors on flexible substrates that are compliant to curved surfaces.
Researcher’s objective is for making an artificial skin is to make a revolutionary change in
robotics, in medical field, in flexible electronics. Skin is large organ in human body so
artificial skin replaces it according to our need. Main objective of artificial skin is to sense
heat, pressure, touch, airflow and whatever which human skin sense. It is replacement for
prosthetic limbs and robotic arms. Artificial skin is skin grown in a laboratory. There are
various names of artificial skin in biomedical field it is called as artificial skin, in our
electronics field it is called as electronic skin, some scientist it called as sensitive skin, in
other way it also called as synthetic skin, some people say that it is fake skin. Such different
names are available but application is same it is skin replacement for people who have
suffered skin trauma, such as severe burns or skin diseases, or robotic applications & so
on. An artificial skin has also been recently demonstrated at the University of Cincinnati
for in-vitro sweat simulation and testing, capable of skin-like texture, wetting, sweat pore
density, and sweat rates.

FIG 1: ARTIFICIAL SKIN

E-Skin has become the new emerging technology and has great developing aspects
as it is going to be one of the most futuristic projects to be enhanced and it also represents
the next generation technology [1].

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 This latest advance is an example of the progress made in the field of microfluidic
stretchable radio frequency electronics (μFSRFE), which have demonstrated the possibility
of combining established stiff electronic components with channels of elastomers filled
with fluid metal. This design means it is possible to build systems that can return to their
original form after major mechanical deformation. Ongoing research projects that
promoting the virtues of ‘E-skin’ could, in the future, be deployed in the field of healthcare.
This E-skin could be used for a vast array of applications such as medical instruments that
need to make controlled incision. Likewise, bandages could be equipped with sensors to
ensure they are applied with the proper tightness [2].

FIG 2 RECENT PROGRESS IN ELECTRONIC SKIN [16]

Electronic pressure sensitive material that could become a sort of “skin” Imitation
for different applications. It was developed by engineers at Berkeley University of
California. Artificial skin called “e-skin” and described in an article published in the journal
Nature Materials, is the first material of this kind, made of crystal inorganic
semiconductors.
Page | 2
 The idea is of a material able to function like human skin, and this involves the
integration capabilities of perception and touch objects. Researchers have developed a
flexible wireless sensor that can withstand the stretching and folding that occurs on any
fluid surface such as human skin. The team believes the sensors can act as a second layer
of smart ‘e-skin’ to monitor an individual’s health. E-skin that is composed of a slender,
highly agile layer of rubber sandwiched between two electrically conducting layers. A
sensitive artificial skin contact could be a crucial step in robotics to handle the necessary
grip force modulation and handling a wide variety of objects. Human beings generally
know how to grab a fresh egg without breaking it. If we want to have a robot able to empty
a dishwasher for instance, you should be sure that will not break the glasses and I will not
fall on the floor pans.[2] A long-term goal could be so called “e-skin” for tangible sense
rehabilitation in patients with prosthetic limbs, when you have reached an appropriate level
of integration of electronic sensors in the human nervous system. Many patents are still
researching on the developing process of the E-Skin and would become a breakthrough in
the coming upcoming technologies.

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 CHAPTER 2
EVOLUTION

Electronic skin or e-skin is a thin material designed to mimic human skin by

recognising pressure and temperature. In September 2010, Javey and the University of
California, Berkeley developed a method of attaching nanowire transistors and pressure
sensors to a sticky plastic film. In August 2011, Massachusetts-based MC10 created an
electronic patch for monitoring patient's vital health signs which was described as 'electric
skin'. The 'tattoos' were created by embedding sensors in a thin film. During tests, the
device stayed in place for 24 hours and was flexible enough to move with the skin it was
placed on. Javey's latest electronic skin lights up when touched. Pressure triggers a reaction
that lights up blue, green, red, and yellow LEDs and as pressure increases the lights get
brighter. Artificial skin identified by different name in a same way it is developed in
different laboratories such as in MIT (Massachusetts institute of technology), in Tokyo led
by Takao Someya, The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology,
and so on. In this report we see the different methods of manufacturing of artificial skin of
different scientist & its application with its future scope. Another form of artificial skin [2].
‖ has been created out of flexible semiconductor materials that can sense touch for
those with prosthetic limbs. The artificial skin is anticipated to augment robotics in
conducting rudimentary jobs that would be considered delicate and require sensitive
―touch. Scientists found that by applying a layer of rubber with two parallel electrodes
that stored electrical charges inside of the artificial skin, tiny amounts of pressure could be
detected. When pressure is exerted, the electrical charge in the rubber is changed and the
change is detected by the electrodes.
However, the film is so small that when pressure is applied to the skin, the
molecules have nowhere to move and become entangled. The molecules also fail to return
to their original shape when the pressure is removed. Sensitive skin, also known as sensate
skin, is an electronic sensing skin placed on the surface of a machine such as a robotic arm.
The goal of the skin is to sense important environmental parameters—such as proximity to
objects, heat, moisture, and direct touch sensations. Examples of a sensitive skin have been
made by a group in Tokyo led by Takao Someya [3].

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FIG 3 EVOLUTION OF E-SKIN [18]

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 CHAPTER 3
ARCHITECTURE OF E-SKIN

With the interactive e-skin, demonstration is takes place an elegant system on

plastic that can be wrapped around different objects to enable a new form of HMI. Other
companies, including Massachusetts-based engineering firm MC10, have created flexible
electronic circuits that are attached to a wearer's skin using a rubber stamp. MC10 originally
designed the tattoos, called Bio stamps, to help medical teams measure the health of their
patients either remotely, or without the need for large expensive machinery [4].
Fig 2 shows the various parts that make up the MC10 electronic tattoo called the
Bio stamp. It can be stuck to the body using a rubber stamp, and protected using spray-on
bandages. The circuit can be worn for two weeks and Motorola believes this makes it
perfect for authentication purposes. Bio stamp use high-performance silicon, can stretch up
to 200 per cent and can monitor temperature, hydration and strain, among other medical
statistics. Javey's study claims that while building sensors into networks isn't new,
interactive displays; being able to recognize touch and pressure and have the flexible circuit
respond to it is 'breakthrough'. His team is now working on a sample that could also register
and respond to changes in temperature and light to make the skin even more lifelike [3].

FIG 4: ARCHITECTURE OF ELECTRONIC SKIN

Large-area ultrasonic sensor arrays that could keep both robots and humans out of
trouble.
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 An ultrasonic skin covering an entire robot body could work as a 360-degree
proximity sensor, measuring the distance between the robot and external obstacles. This
could prevent the robot from crashing into walls or allow it to handle our soft, fragile human
bodies with more care. For humans, it could provide prosthetics or garments that are
hyperaware of their surroundings. Besides adding multiple functions to e-skins, it’s also
important to improve their electronic properties, such as the speed at which signals can be
read from the sensors. For that, electron mobility is a fundamental limiting factor, so some
researchers are seeking to create flexible materials that allow electrons to move very
quickly. Ali Javey and his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, have had
some success in that area. They figured out how to make flexible, large-area electronics by
printing semiconducting nanowires onto plastics and paper [6]. Nanowires have excellent
electron mobility, but they hadn’t been used in large-area electronics before. Materials like
the ones Javey developed will also allow for fascinating new functions for e-skins.

FIG 5: ISLAND CARRYING ELECTRONIC SURFACE

My team has developed electromagnetic coupling technology for e-skin, which
would enable wireless power transmission. Imagine being able to charge your prosthetic
arm by resting your hand on a charging pad on your desk. In principle, any sort of conductor
could work for this, but if materials with higher electron mobility are used, the transmission
frequency could increase, resulting in more efficient coupling. Linking sensors with radio-
frequency communication modules within an e-skin also allow the wireless transmission
of information from skin to computer—or, conceivably, to other e-skinned people [5].
Page | 7
 At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, John Rogers’s team has taken
the first step toward this goal. His latest version of an “electrical epidermis” contained the
antenna and ancillary components needed for radiofrequency communication. What’s
more, his electronics can be laminated onto your skin in the same fashion as a temporary
tattoo. The circuit is first transferred onto a water-soluble plastic sheet, which washes away
after the circuit is pressed on. Doctors could use these tiny devices to monitor a patient’s
vital signs without the need for wires and bulky contact pads, and people could wear them
discreetly beyond the confines of the hospital [7]. Rogers and his colleagues tried out a
number of applications for their stick-on electronics.

FIG 6: DETAILED VIEW OF INNER CIRCUIT OF ELECTRONIC SKIN

In their most astonishing iteration, they applied circuitry studded with sensors to a
person’s throat where it could detect the muscular activity involved in speech. Simply by
monitoring the signals, researchers were able to differentiate among several words spoken
by the test subject. The user was even able to control a voice-activated video game. Rogers
suggested that such a device could be used to create covert, sub vocal communication
systems. Skins that know what we’re saying without having to say it, skins that can
communicate themselves, skins that extend our human capacities in directions we haven’t
yet imagined—the possibilities are endless. And while some readers may worry about e-
skins being used to invade the privacy of their bodies or minds, I believe the potential
benefits of this technology offer plenty of reasons to carry on with the work. For example,
the car company Toyota has already demonstrated a smart steering wheel that measures the
electrical activity of the driver’s heart; imagine a smart skin that can warn a patient of an
oncoming heart attack hours in advance [8].
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 Human skin is so thin, yet it serves as a boundary between us and the external world.
To achieve flexible and stretchable skin, sub circuit cells, made of a transducer and an
electronic circuit, will be placed on mechanically separated islands, which are fabricated
on a deformable substrate that takes up most of the total strain. The figure shown above is
a sketch of such an island carrying electronic surface. The islands are made sufficiently
rigid to protect them from breaking when the circuit is deformed one time or by repeated
stretching. The sub circuits are electrically connected with stretchable metal conductors.
We have three options for making deformable interconnects: making thin metal
films that can withstand large plastic deformation, deforming a sacrificial mask which
serves in lift-off metallization, and making stretchable metallization.

FIG 7 E-SKIN ATTACHES TO HAND

My dream is to make responsive electronic coverings that bridge that divide.

Instead of cold metal robots and hard plastic prosthetics, I imagine machines and people
clothed in sensitive e-skin, allowing for a two-way exchange of information. Making our
mechanical creations seem almost warm and alive and placing imperceptible electronics on
humans will change how people relate to technology. The harmonization of people and
machines: This is the cyborg future that e-skins could bring. Bendable sensors and displays
have made the tech rounds before, but a team of engineers at the University of California-
Berkeley have found a way to combine the two. Ali Javey and his lab have successfully
created e-skin, a pressure-sensitive circuit array that is thin, flexible, and luminescent. His
research can be found in the journal Nature Materials [9].

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 CHAPTER 4
FABRICATION OF E-SKIN
There are different types of fabrications for making of E-skin. They are as follows
4.1 By using Zinc Oxide with vertical Nanowires: -
U.S. and Chinese Scientists used zinc oxide vertical nanowires to generate
sensitivity. According to experts, the artificial skin is "smarter and similar to human skin."
It also offers greater sensitivity and resolution than current commercially available
techniques. A group of Chinese and American scientists created experimental sensors to
give robots artificial skin capable of feeling. According to experts, the sensitivity is
comparable to that experienced by humans. Trying to replicate the body's senses and indeed
its largest organ, the skin, has been no mean feat but the need for such a substitute has been
needed for a while now, especially in cases of those to whom skin grafts have not worked
or indeed its use in robotics. To achieve this sensitivity, researchers created a sort of flexible
and transparent electronics sheet of about eight thousand transistors using vertical
nanowires of zinc oxide. Each transistor can directly convert mechanical motion and touch
into signals that are controlled electronically, the creators explained. “Any mechanical
movement, like the movement of an arm or fingers of a robot, can be converted into control
signals," the Professor Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), Zhong Lin Wang. This
technology "could make smarter artificial skin similar to human skin," said Zhong, after
stating that it provides greater sensitivity and resolution. The system is based on
piezoelectricity, a phenomenon that occurs when materials such as zinc oxide are pressed.
Changes in the electrical polarization of the mass can be captured and translated into
electrical signals thereby creating an artificial touch feeling [10].

FIG 8: ZINC OXIDE WITH VERTICAL NANOWIRES E-SKIN

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4.2 By using Gallium Indium: -
The development of highly deformable artificial skin with contact force (or pressure)
and strain sensing capabilities is a critical technology to the areas of wearable computing,
haptic interfaces, and tactile sensing in robotics. With tactile sensing, robots are expected
to work more autonomously and be more responsive to unexpected contacts by detecting
contact forces during activities such as manipulation and assembly. Application areas
include haptics humanoid robotics, and medical robotics.

FIG 9: GALLIUM INDIUM E-SKIN

We describe the design, fabrication, and calibration of a highly compliant
artificial skin sensor. The sensor consists of multi-layered micro channels in an elastomer
matrix filled with a conductive liquid, capable of detecting multi axis strains and contact
pressure. A novel manufacturing method comprised of layered moulding and casting
processes is demonstrated to fabricate the multi-layered soft sensor circuit. Silicone rubber
layers with channel patterns, cast with 3-D printed moulds, are bonded to create embedded
micro channels, and a conductive liquid is injected into the micro channels. The channel
dimensions are 200 μm (width) × 300 μm (height). The size of the sensor is 25 mm × 25
mm, and the thickness is approximately 3.5 mm. The prototype is tested with a materials
tester and showed linearity in strain sensing and nonlinearity in pressure sensing. The
sensor signal is repeatable in both cases. The characteristic modulus of the skin prototype
is approximately 63 kPa. The sensor is functional up to strains of approximately 250% A
highly elastic artificial skin was developed using an embedded liquid conductor. Three
hyper-elastic silicon rubber layers with embedded micro channels were stacked and
bonded. The three layers contain different channel patterns for different types of sensing
such as multi-axial strain and contact pressure.
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A novel manufacturing method with layered moulding and casting techniques was
developed to build a multi-layered soft sensor circuit. For strain sensing, the calibration
results showed linear and repeatable sensor signal. The gauge factors of the skin prototype
are 3.93 and 3.81 in x and y axes, respectively, and the minimum detectable displacements
are 1.5 mm in x-axis and 1.6 mm in y-axis. For pressure sensing, the prototype showed
repeatable but not linear sensor signals. The hysteresis level was high in a high-pressure
range (over 25 kPa). The sensor signal was repeatable in both cases [11].
4.3 By using Organic Transistors: -

FIG 10: E-SKIN BY USING ORGANIC TRANSISTORS

They fabricated organic transistors and tactile sensors on an ultrathin polymer sheet
that measured 1 micrometre thick-one-tenth the thickness of plastic wrap and light enough
to drift through the air like a feather. This material can withstand repeated bending, crumple
like paper, and accommodate stretching of up to 230 per cent. What’s more, it works at
high temperatures and in aqueous environments—even in saline solutions, meaning that it
can function inside the human body. Flexible electronics using organic transistors could
serve a range of biomedical applications. For example, they’ve experimented with
electromyography, the monitoring and recording of electrical activity produced by muscles.
For this system, they distributed organic transistor-based amplifiers throughout a 2-μm-
thick film. This allowed us to detect muscle signals very close to the source, which is key
to improving the signal-to-noise ratio, and thus the accuracy of the measurements.
Conventional techniques typically use long wires to connect sensors on the skin with
amplifier circuits, which results in a pretty abysmal signal-to-noise ratio,
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and they can imagine more medically urgent applications of such a system. In collaboration
with the medical school at the University of Tokyo, we’re working on an experiment that
will place our amplifier matrix directly on the surface of an animal’s heart. By detecting
electric signals from the heart with high spatial resolution and superb signal-to-noise ratios,
we should be able to zoom in on the exact location of problems in the heart muscle that can
lead to heart attacks.
Schematic process for the fabrication of micro-structured PDMS films. A dilute
solution of the PDMS mixture is drop cast onto a Si wafer mould. An ITO-coated PET
substrate is laminated to the mould, and the PDMS film is cured under pressure. After
curing, the flexible substrate is peeled off the mould as shown in Figure 3. Scanning
electron micrographs of micro-structured PDMS films with pyramid or line features [5].
The pressure sensitive structured PDMS films can be moulded at full wafer scale with high
uniformity and fidelity on a variety of flexible, plastic substrates. Pressure-response curves
for different types of micro structured PDMS films. The structured PDMS films exhibit a
much higher-pressure sensitivity s than the unstructured PDMS films of the same thickness.
Relaxation and steady state curves for different types of featured after loading and
unloading. While both, structured and unstructured PDMS films, show immediate response
to the application of pressure, only the structured PDMS films exhibit relaxation times in
the millisecond range.
The micro structured PDMS films are able to sense the application of very small
pressures [2]. Shown is the capacitance change on placing and removing a bluebottle fly
(20 mg) on an area of 64mm2, corresponding to a
pressure of only 3 Pa.

FIG 11 ARRAY OF PDMS

Page | 13
Skin is essentially an interface between your brain and the external world. It senses a tap
on the shoulder or the heat from a fire, and your brain takes in that information and decides
how to react. If we want bionic skins to do the same, they must incorporate sensors that can
match
the sensitivity of biological skins. But that is no easy task. For example, a commercial
pressure-sensitive rubber exhibits a maximum sensitivity of 3 kilopascals, which is not
sufficient to detect a gentle touch. To improve an e-skin’s responsiveness to such stimuli,
researchers are experimenting with a number of different techniques. Zhenan Bao and her
colleagues at Stanford University created a flexible membrane with extraordinarily good
touch sensitivity by using precisely moulded pressure-sensitive rubber sandwiched
between electrodes.
A novel design of the thin rubber layer, using pyramid-like structures of
micrometre size that expand when compressed, allowed the material to detect the weight
of a fly resting on its surface. With such structures embedded in it, a bionic skin could sense
a breath or perhaps a gentle breeze. This kind of sensitivity would be a great benefit in a
prosthetic hand, for example, by giving the wearer the ability to grip delicate objects. In
the most recent application of Bao’s technology, her team turned the pressure sensors
around so that instead of detecting external stimuli, they measured a person’s internal
functions. The researchers developed a flexible pulse monitor that responds to each subtle
surge of blood through an artery, which could be worn on the inner wrist under a Band-
Aid [12].
4.4 By Organic Light Emitting Diode: -
Javey and colleagues set out to make the electronic skin respond optically. The
researchers combined a conductive, pressure-sensitive rubber material, organic light
emitting diodes (OLEDs), and thin-film transistors made of semiconductor-enriched
carbon nanotubes to build an array of pressure sensing, light-emitting pixels. Whereas a
system with this kind of function is relatively simple to fabricate on a silicon surface, ―for
plastics, this is one of the more complex systems that has ever been demonstrated,” says
Javey.
The diversity of materials and components that the researchers combined to make the light-
emitting pressure-sensor array is impressive, says John Rogers, a professor of materials
science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rogers, whose group has
produced its own impressive flexible electronic sensors (see- “Electronic Sensors Printed
Directly on the Skin”), says the result illustrates
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how research in nanomaterial’s is transitioning from the fundamental study of components
and simple devices to the development of “sophisticated, macro scale demonstrator
devices, with unique function.”

FIG 12: E-SKIN USING OLED

In this artist's illustration of the University of California, Berkeley's interactive e-skin,

the brightness of the light directly corresponds to how hard the surface is pressed.
Semiconducting material and transistors are fitted to flexible silicon to mimic pressure on
human skin. The team is working on samples that respond to temperature. Scientists have
created what's been dubbed the world's first interactive 'electronic skin' that responds to
touch and pressure. When the flexible skin is touched, bent or pressed, built-in LED’s light
up - and the stronger the pressure, the brighter the light.
The researchers, from the University of California, claim the bendy e-skin could be used
to restore feeling for people with prosthetic limbs, in smart phone displays, car dashboards
or used to give robots a sense of touch. Scientists from the University of California have
created what's been dubbed the first 'electronic skin' that responds to touch and pressure by
lighting up using built-in lights.
Layout of pressure sensing organic single-crystal transistors of thin rubrene single
crystals and micro structured PDMS dielectric films as shown above. Output curves of a
transistor-based sensor with different external pressures applied is also shown in the above
graph. The legend lists the applied loads in the order of the original loading cycle [13].

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4.5 Working of E-Skin by OLED:
➢ Nanotube TFT drain connected to anode of OLED.
➢ OLED: Bi-layer structure whose colour controlled by emissive layer material.
➢ PSR: Electrical contact with cathode of OLED.
➢ Conductivity of PSR αapplied pressure [14].

FIG 13 INTERNAL STRUCTRE OF E-SKIN

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 CHAPTER 5
FEATURES
The electronic skin concept was initially developed for applications in robotics. Robots
could be provided with pressure sensing that would allow them to grip objects securely
without damaging them. These electronic skins, which mainly consist of pressure- sensing
materials and associated electronic devices for pressure reading, might also provide touch
sense to prosthetic devices such as artificial legs or arms. One challenge for making these
devices is that the transistors (and the semiconductors in them) that amplify weak signals
must be flexible in order to act like skin. The ability of transistors to amplify signals, their
gain depends on the mobility of the charge carriers in their semiconductor under the gate
layer (or in their gated semiconductor layer). Doped single-crystalline silicon wafers are
used in most computer chips because of their high carrier mobility, which allows operation
with low applied voltage and low power. However, the wafers are brittle, so alternative
materials have been pursued. Some of the candidate flexible semiconductors, such as
conducting polymers have much lower carrier mobility. The higher voltages needed to use
these materials as transistors may not be suitable for electronic skin that makes direct
contact with a patient’s skin, and may quickly exhaust small power supplies. However,
their carrier mobility, although much higher than that of conducting polymers, is still much
lower than that of doped silicon. With these types of materials, it is difficult or impossible
to achieve the performance needed to amplify very weak signals acquired from natural skin.

The electronic skin uses thin single-crystal silicon that has superior flexibility and a
mobility equivalent to that of the silicon used in personal portable devices. The approach,
a printing method developed previously by Rogers’s group could be called ―inking and
printing.

FIG 14 FLEXIBLITY OF E-SKIN

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A thin silicon layer is bonded to a silicon dioxide release layer. The silicon layer is cut into
a lattice of micro meter-scale chip lets and a transfer stamp layer is then attached to the top
of the divided silicon. The transfer layer and chip lets are then lifted and transferred to a
flexible substrate. Attaching electronic skin to natural skin is more difficult than attaching
it to robots or prosthetics. Natural skin is soft and delicate and already has touch-sensing
functions. The electronic skin that can be used for physiological monitoring must have a
supporting layer with mechanical properties that match those of natural skin to avoid any
discomfort resulting from long wearing. The electronic skin must not be too thick, too rigid,
too hard, or too heavy, but must have conformal contact, intimate integration, and adequate
adhesion with the natural skin. Special materials that are properly designed through
accurate modelling were needed to achieve these properties [15].

This innovative design contains all of the necessary components in an ultrathin layer
about the thickness of a human hair. The electronic skin can be simply mounted onto or
peeled off natural skin in the same way as bandage tape. Physiological information has
been collected from heart, brain, and skeletal muscles with a quality equivalent to that
collected with bulky electrodes and hardware. Other forms of physiological information
collection based on the electronic skin are readily feasible because they could use
components that have more sophisticated functions. The transfer-printing fabrication
approach has proved to be viable and low-cost in this demonstration, which will greatly
facilitate the practical clinical use of the electronic skin. Because of the higher quality of
the transferable thin silicon, wireless communication directly from the electronic skin
should be feasible, given recent demonstrations of this capability in other devices

5.1 DESIRABLE PROPERTIES FOR E-SKIN

E-skin can mimic the properties of human skin in its ability to sense tactile forces,
as well as augment the capabilities of human skin through incorporation of chemical and
biological sensing functionalities [16].

5.1.1 Biocompatibility and Biodegradability

Since e-skin applications require intimate association with biological interfaces,

biocompatibility is an important consideration for such devices. Ideally, e-skin should be
synthesized from highly biocompatible components.

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5.1.2 Self -healing
While naturally occurring, human skin has the ability to repair itself after incurring
mechanical damage, this property has yet to be fully realized in e-skin. For artificial skin,
the ability to repair both mechanical and electrical damage would be highly advantageous
for practical applications. There are two predominant strategies used to incorporate self-
healing properties into materials, namely: 1) the use of materials loaded with healing agents
and 2) the use of materials containing dynamic reversible bonds. The incorporation of
capsules containing healants was first demonstrated in self-healing, non-conducting
polymers. However, for e-skin applications, it is necessary to use a system that is
electrically active.

FIG 15 SELF HEALING

5.1.3 Temperature sensitivity

Sensing temperature is a key functionality of human skin that helps to prevent injury
and provides information about the surrounding environment, most tactile sensors are
inherently temperature sensitive, and their response must therefore be calibrated with a
temperature sensor. Several groups have implemented piezoelectric pyroelectric sensors
that can discriminate between temperature and pressure inputs. Resistive temperature
detectors (RTD) are attractive for e-skin applications owing to their flexibility, simple
device structure, and compatibility with electronic readout methods. RTDs relate a change
in temperature to a corresponding resistance change through a material commonly
composed of metals such as Au and platinum (Pt). To deconvolute the contribution of
tactile stimuli from temperature sensors, meandering sections of Pt as temperature-sensing
devices were implemented.

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5.1.4 Self – Powering
Providing a long-lasting supply of power is a persistent challenge for mobile electronics.
As the largest human organ, skin provides a large area for potential energy storage.

Furthermore, as the body’s interface with the outside world, e-skins may provide the
opportunity to scavenge energy from environmental sources such as light and mechanical
forces. A number of promising technologies have recently been demonstrated for power
generation, transmission, and storage in stretchable systems, including solar cells,
mechanical energy harvesters, supercapacitors, batteries, and wireless antennas.

Light is a readily available power source, and is most effectively harvested using devices
with large surface area. stretchable solar cells based on rigid GaAs device islands connected
with freestanding metal interconnects are determined. These solar cells operated with an
efficiency of ≈13% with applied strain of up to 20%. Although these devices provided
exceptional performance, the high cost of GaAs may limit its implementation in large-area
e-skins. OPVs on ultrathin substrates using conventional materials and processes are
fabricated. By transferring the devices to a pre-stretched substrate, they were able to
achieve a stretch ability up to 400% with an efficiency of 4%.

FIG 16 SELF POWERING [19]

Dielectric elastomer generators can achieve very high efficiencies, but have historically
been limited by the complexity and weight of the associated electronics. Recent reports
have demonstrated that the circuit complexity can be reduced using systems that are self-
primed or primed by electrets.

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5.2 HIGHLY INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC SKIN DEVICES

Using the technologies described in previous sections, highly integrated systems of

mechanically compliant sensor arrays possessing multiple functionalities have been
reported. A select number of recent advancements will be described in this section, along
with some of their demonstrated applications in the fields of biomedical devices, robotics,
and optoelectronics [17].

5.2.1 Biomedical Devices

Active electrode arrays have been demonstrated for measuring electrical activity
in both the heart and brain. The mechanical compliance of these arrays was essential for
achieving conformal interactions with these irregularly shaped organs. For measuring
electrocardiogram signals, an array of 2016 transistors were used to achieve good temporal
resolution at 288 contact points, thus allowing for high-resolution spatial mapping of
electrical characteristics. A similar flexible array of active electrodes was used to measure
brain activity with unprecedented spatial accuracy.

FIG 17: DEMONSTRATION OF STRETCHABLE LITHIUM ION BATTERIES.

a) Illustration of a stretchable device with an exploded view of the various layers in the
battery structure.
b) Operation of a battery that has been biaxially stretched to 300% powering a red LED.
Inset shows the un stretched device.
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5.2.2 Robotics
Compliant devices with integrated tactile functionality could be used as skin-like sensors
for intelligent robots. One of the first flexible and highly multifunctional skin-like systems
was reported using polymer micromachining technologies. An array of several sensor types
allowed the measurement of numerous desired parameters such as contact forces, object
hardness, temperature, thermal conductivity, and surface curvature. However, the system
lacked multiplexing for large-scale implementation.
Over the last decade, a series of increasingly more complex stretchable circuits with
multiple functionalities were reported. A flexible active matrix of pressure and temperature
sensors was first reported in 2004 and stretch ability was subsequently added by the
selective removal of periodic sections of the flexible substrate. To increase the device’s
stretch ability, stretchable interconnects were implemented by developing a highly
conductive and stretchable material comprised of a fluorinated elastomer and ionic liquid
with long CNTs.

FIG 18 E-SKIN ROBOT

The adopted active matrix technology has subsequently been used to drive a range of
devices, including pressure sensors, temperature sensors, electromagnetic interference
sensors, and actuators for tactile feedback arrays. By integrating a floating gate into their
OFETs, pixels with memory capabilities were created that could locally store information
from piezoresistive elements.
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5.2.3 Optoelectronics
Stretchable optoelectronics for applications such as stretchable or semitransparent
displays, biomedical imaging, and hemispherical photodetector (PD) arrays are promising.
Traditional planar PD arrays require complicated optics and/or image correction software
to extract an accurate image. Curved PDs similar to the human retina have been developed
that can simplify the required optics, reducing the cost and weight of the detector.
Furthermore, detectors with adjustable forms can provide dynamically tunable zoom and
focusing and can mimic the sophisticated imaging system of insect eyes.

FIG 19: HIGHLY INTEGRATED E-SKINS FOR ROBOTICS AND OPTOELECTRONIC

APPLICATIONS

a) Stretchable active matrix devices including biaxial stretching of an integrated,

encapsulated device demonstrating a conformal coverage of a non-planar surface (left), and
a depiction of an individual organic transistor in the array (right).

b) Depiction of piezoelectric NWs used as an array of active tactile sensors with

unprecedented spatial density.

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 CHAPTER 6
RESULT & ANALYSIS BY APPLICATION
6.1 ADVANTAGES: -
1. Reduces number of wires
2. Compact in size
3. Attachment and detachment is easy
4. More flexible
5. Light in weight
6. It replaces present system of ECG and EEG
7. It gives sense to a robot
8. Wearable
9. Ultrathin
10. Twistable & stretchable
11. Easy to handle
6.2 APPLICATIONS: -
Some applications are given below to know the depth and use of electronic skin
• When the skin has been seriously damaged through disease or burns then human skin is
replaced by artificial skin [7].

FIG 20: E-SKIN CAN MONITOR HEART

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• It is also used for robots. Robot senses the pressure, touch, moisture, temperature,
proximity to object.
• It can measure electrical activity of the heart, brain waves, muscle activity and other vital
signals
• By using interfacial stress sensor, we also measure normal stress & shear stress.
• Localized electrical stimulation: This is a ―smart bandage’’. Temperature is changes
across a wound.

FIG 21: SMART BANDAGE USING E-SKIN

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 CHAPTER 7
FUTURE SCOPE AND CONCLUSION

• Bendable sensors and displays have made the tech rounds before.
• We can predict a patient of an oncoming heart attack hours in advance.
• In future even virtual screens may be placed on device for knowing our body functions.
• Used in car dashboard, interactive wallpapers, smart watches [2].

FIG 22: VIRTUAL SCREENS FOR KNOWING BODY FUNCTIONING

The electronics devices gain more demand when they are compact in size and best
at functioning. The Artificial Skin is one such device which depicts the beauty of
electronics and its use in daily life. Scientists create artificial skin that emulates human
touch. According to experts, the artificial skin is "smarter and similar to human skin." It
also offers greater sensitivity and resolution than current commercially available
techniques. Bendable sensors and displays have made the tech rounds before.

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 CHAPTER 8
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