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BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
in
ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
Submitted By
CERTIFICATE
Certified that the seminar entitled “FLEXIBLE ELECTRONIC SKIN” carried out by
Ms. SAHANA RAMESH METI USN No. 4BD20EE039, a bonafide student, of BAPUJI
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY in partial fulfilment for the
award of Bachelor of Engineering in ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS
ENGINEERING of the Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi during the year
2024. It is certified that all corrections/suggestions indicated for internal assessment have
been incorporated in the Report deposited in the departmental library. The seminar report
has been approved as it satisfies the academic requirements in respect of seminar prescribed
for the said Degree.
Principal
Bapuji Educational Association (Regd.)
Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology
Post Box No: 325, Davanagere – 577 004 Karnataka
(Affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University and Approved by
AICTE)
Mission
“BIET contributes to the growth and development of its students by imparting a broad-based
engineering education and empowering them to be successful in their chosen field by inculcating
in them positive approach, leadership qualities and ethical values”
PSO1: Ability to analysis of power systems that efficiently generate, transmit, distribute and
utilize electric power.
PSO2: Able to design, develop and analysis of Modern Electric & Electronic systems and
allied interdisciplinary areas using Conventional methods & Modern tools.
COURSE OUTCOMES
CO1: Attain, use and develop knowledge in the field of electrical and electronics
engineering and other disciplines through independent learning and collaborative
study.
CO5: Explore an appreciation of the self in relation to its larger diverse social contexts
Dr. M.S.NAGARAJ
Ph.D, M.I.E, M.I.S.T.E
I also declare that, to the best of our knowledge and belief, the work reported here in does not
form part of any other thesis or dissertation on the basis of which a degree or award was conferred on
an earlier occasion by any student.
4BD20EE039
Place: Davangere
Date:
ABSTARCT
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 to human skin.
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. 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 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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Certificate
Mission and Vision
PEOs and PSOs
Course outcomes
Acknowledgement
Declaration
Abstract
Chapter 6 Applications 14 - 15
Conclusion 16
Bibliography 17
Contact Details 18
FLEXIBLE ELECTRONIC SKIN
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, the convergence of materials science, electronics, and biomedical engineering has
given rise to a groundbreaking innovation: flexible electronic skin. This remarkable technology
emulates the intricate properties of human skin, offering a versatile platform that holds promise for
revolutionizing multiple domains, from healthcare to robotics. Flexible electronic skin represents a
significant leap forward in our quest to create more responsive, adaptable, and integrated human-
machine interfaces.
Electronic skin refers to flexible, stretchable and self-healing electronics that are able to mimic
functionalities of human or animal skin. The broad class of materials often contain sensing abilities that
are intended to reproduce the capabilities of human skin to respond to environmental factors such as
changes in heat and pressure. Advances in electronic skin research focuses on designing materials that
are stretchy, robust, and flexible. Research in monitoring. Self-healing, or re-healable, the electronic
skin is often achieved through a polymer-based material or a hybrid material and the individual fields
of flexible electronics and tactile sensing has progressed greatly; however, electronic skin design
attempts to bring together advances in many areas of materials research without sacrificing individual
benefits from each field. The successful combination of flexible and stretchable mechanical properties
with sensors and the ability to self-heal would open the door to many possible applications including
soft robotics, prosthetics, artificial intelligence and health monitoring.
Electronics plays a very important role in developing simple devices used for any purpose. In
every field electronic equipment's are required. The best achievement as well as future example of
integrated electronics in medical field is artificial Skin. It is ultrathin electronics device attaches to the
skin like a sick on tattoo which can measure electrical activity of heart, brain waves & other vital signals.
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.
The skin is one of the main organs of the human body and it implements many different and
relevant functions. Due to its complexity, the development of artificial, or better, electronic skin (e-skin)
is a challenging goal that involves many different and complementary research areas. Electronic skin
refers to flexible, stretchable and self-healing electronics that are able to mimic functionalities of human
or animal skin. Advances in electronic skin research focus on designing materials that are stretchy,
robust, and flexible. The successful combination of flexible and stretchable mechanical properties with
sensors and the ability to self-heal would open door to many possible applications including soft
robotics, prosthetics, artificial intelligence, and health monitoring. Self-healing, or re-healable, the
electronic skin is often achieved through a polymer-based material or a hybrid material.
At its core, the appeal of flexible electronic skin lies in its ability to bridge the gap between the
digital and physical worlds. By seamlessly integrating with the human body or robotic systems,
electronic skin enables real-time monitoring of physiological parameters, environmental conditions, and
tactile feedback. This transformative capability opens up a myriad of applications across diverse sectors,
from personalized healthcare monitoring to next-generation human-machine interaction
Chapter 2
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 Biostamps, to help
medical teams measure the health of their patients either remotely, or without the need for large
expensive machinery. Fig 2.1 shows the various parts that make up the MC10 electronic tattoo called
the Biostamp. 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 scientists believed that this makes it perfect for authentication
purposes.
Biostamp 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.
Large-area ultrasonic sensor arrays that could keep both robots and humans out of trouble. 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.
They figured out how to make flexible, large-area electronics by printing semiconducting nanowires
onto plastics and paper. 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. The 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 would also allow the
wireless transmission of information from skin to computer or, conceivably, to other e-skinned people.
Chapter 3
DESIGN AND FABRICATION
E Skin to function properly and to give the best, most precise, and accurate results and also to increase
the range of fields of application of the E Skin, it needs to be flexible and stretchable. It is very significant
for E Skin to have these properties as when it is applied to complex mechanical parts, the pressure
sensing ability should be maintained. As most bodies practically are not a simple structure or a plane
surface, not having flexibility would limit to very few objects. Besides, various bodies have slightly
changed shapes in time to which the E Skin needs to adapt, thus, flexibility is also a very necessary
feature. To achieve high amounts of flexibility, the thickness of the material must be very low, which
can be achieved by using very thin and flexible substrates with high flexibilities. Depicts an E Skin
prototype made using Zinc Oxide and vertical nanowires for stretchability, the method is a bit more
complicated. To have stretchable E Skin, it needs to have a sophisticated island-bridge-like structure
design. Also, the sensors used in E Skin will need to have high sensitivity, high resolution, very high
Traditional electronics have always been fabricated on hard and rigid semiconductor wafers.
In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the field of stretchable and flexible electronics.
The future seems to be full of possibilities and to make most of these come alive, it is necessary to have
such technology to exist. Since E Skin poses a wide range of applications from Human Machine
Interfaces (HMI) and robotics to prosthetics and microelectromechanical systems, it is even more reason
to develop such technology at the earliest. Also, this technology seems to be the future of electronics
rather than rigid electronics that are limiting the applications of electronics and are being used now.
There have been demonstrations of multiple electronics with low thickness and with quite a bit of
bendability, though, they’re still very limited. Although it is very difficult and challenging to create
stretchable and flexible E Skin, several strategies can be used to achieve this, such as, the use of thin
conductive materials with very low Young’s Moduli which is bonded to a flexible rubber or elastic
substrate, and to enhance stretchability of electronics and then electronics and conductors can be
assembled into devices that are flexible and constructed by a mix of conductive materials which will
finally form an elastomeric matrix.
For the best results of pressure mapping, it is necessary to use large scale pressure sensor arrays in
E Skin. There are tactile sensors that are used in the fabrication of E Skin. These sensors measure
information from physical interactions in the environment and convert them to use electronic signals.
But, when using a large number of sensors, there is a problem of signal crosstalk among them. This is a
huge challenge in the development of E Skin. There is, though, a method that can be used to reduce this
crosstalk to a certain extent between the different pressure sensors by the use of transistors. E-Skin by
using organic transistors developed by the Engineers at UC Berkeley consisting of a 16 by 16 array of
transistors and is very thin with high sensitivity. The transistors have low power consumption and also
have the capability to rapidly address because of their amplification and signal transduction properties.
Thus, in such scenarios, instead of just using a pressure sensor array, a transistor array is also used.
Chapter 4
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Flexible electronic skin, also known as e-skin, is a promising technology that mimics the
functionality and tactile sensing capabilities of human skin. It typically involves the integration of
various materials and methods to achieve stretchability, flexibility, and sensitivity to various stimuli.
Here's an overview of the materials and methods commonly used in the development of flexible
electronic skin:
1. Substrates:
• Polyimide: Flexible polymer commonly used as a substrate due to its high thermal stability and
mechanical flexibility.
• Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS): Another flexible polymer often used in e-skin due to its elasticity
and biocompatibility.
• Stretchable elastomers: Rubber-like materials that can stretch and deform without permanent
damage.
2. Conductive Materials:
• Carbon nanotubes (CNTs): Highly conductive carbon-based materials that can be dispersed
within polymers to create conductive composites.
• Graphene: Single-layer carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, offering excellent electrical
conductivity and mechanical strength.
• Silver nanowires: Thin, flexible, and highly conductive nanowires that can be used to form
conductive networks.
3. Sensors:
• Strain sensors: Materials that change their electrical resistance in response to mechanical strain,
enabling the detection of bending and stretching.
4. Interconnects:
• Conductive traces: Thin metallic lines or conductive polymers used to connect different
components of the e-skin.
• Serpentine patterns: Curved or meandering conductive traces designed to enhance flexibility and
stretchability.
5. Encapsulation:
• Encapsulation layers: Thin layers of flexible, protective materials (e.g., silicone, parylene)
applied over the electronic components to protect them from moisture and mechanical damage
while maintaining flexibility.
6. Fabrication Methods:
• Printing techniques: Inkjet, screen printing, or aerosol jet printing used to deposit conductive
materials and sensors onto flexible substrates.
• Soft lithography: Techniques such as replica molding or microcontact printing used to create
microscale features on flexible substrates.
• Transfer printing: Method for transferring thin films or electronic components from one substrate
to another, enabling the integration of prefabricated components into e-skin.
By combining these materials and methods, researchers can fabricate flexible electronic skin with
properties that closely resemble those of natural human skin, enabling applications in prosthetics,
robotics, healthcare monitoring, and human-computer interaction.
Chapter 5
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
• Compact in size: The compact size of flexible electronic skin allows it to be seamlessly integrated
into various devices and applications without adding bulk or weight. This miniaturization enables the
development of more discreet and portable solutions for healthcare monitoring, wearable technology,
and robotics.
• Attachment and detachment is easy: Flexible electronic skin can be easily attached and detached
from surfaces, objects, or even the human body. This ease of attachment facilitates quick deployment
and reconfiguration in diverse settings, such as medical diagnostics, prosthetics, and human-robot
interaction.
• More flexible: Unlike rigid electronic components, flexible electronic skin can bend, stretch, and
conform to curved or irregular surfaces. This flexibility enables comfortable and unobtrusive
integration with the human body, as well as adaptable and resilient performance in dynamic
environments.
• Light in weight: The lightweight nature of flexible electronic skin enhances comfort and wearability,
particularly in applications where weight is a concern, such as wearable technology, prosthetics, and
assistive devices. Lighter weight also contributes to energy efficiency and reduces physical strain on
users.
• Replaces present systems of ECG and EEG: Flexible electronic skin has the potential to replace
• Gives sense to a robot: By equipping robots with flexible electronic skin, they can gain a sense of
touch and environmental awareness, enhancing their ability to interact with objects and humans. This
tactile feedback enables more dexterous manipulation, safer collaboration in shared spaces, and
improved performance in tasks requiring perception and adaptation.
• Wearable: Flexible electronic skin is designed to be worn directly on the body, enabling continuous
monitoring of physiological parameters, movement tracking, and personalized healthcare applications.
Wearable electronic skin devices offer convenience, mobility, and real-time feedback for users,
empowering them to monitor and manage their health proactively.
• Ultrathin: The ultrathin profile of flexible electronic skin minimizes interference with natural
movement and sensation, making it ideal for applications requiring close contact with the skin or
integration into clothing and accessories. This slim form factor also facilitates discreet wearables and
seamless integration with existing garments.
• Twistable & stretchable: Flexible electronic skin can withstand twisting and stretching without
impairing its functionality, making it suitable for use in dynamic and deformable environments. This
robustness allows electronic skin to maintain reliable performance during movements and activities,
ensuring continuous sensing and feedback.
• Easy to handle: The user-friendly design of flexible electronic skin simplifies handling and
deployment, enabling quick setup and operation in various contexts. This ease of use reduces barriers
to adoption and encourages widespread integration into consumer electronics, medical devices, and
industrial applications.
• Complexity and Cost: Developing flexible electronic skin involves intricate manufacturing
processes and the integration of multiple components, which can be expensive and resource-
intensive.
• Durability and Lifespan: Ensuring the durability and long-term stability of flexible electronic
skin remains a significant challenge. Factors such as wear and tear, environmental conditions, and
material degradation can impact its performance over time.
• Integration with Existing Systems: Integrating flexible electronic skin with existing devices,
systems, and technologies can be complex, requiring compatibility and interoperability
considerations.
• Power Consumption: Some types of flexible electronic skin may require power sources for
operation, leading to concerns about energy consumption and battery life, particularly in portable
or wearable applications.
• Data Privacy and Security: The collection and transmission of sensitive biological and
physiological data through electronic skin raise privacy and security concerns, necessitating robust
measures to safeguard personal information.
• Ethical Considerations: The use of flexible electronic skin in certain applications, such as
surveillance or invasive monitoring, raises ethical questions related to autonomy, consent, and the
potential for misuse or abuse.
Chapter 6
APPLICATIONS
• Prosthetics and Assistive Devices: Electronic skin can enhance the functionality and comfort
of prosthetic limbs by providing sensory feedback to users. It enables amputees to experience
sensations such as touch, pressure, and temperature, improving their dexterity and quality of life.
Additionally, electronic skin can be used in assistive devices for individuals with mobility
impairments, enabling more intuitive control and interaction.
• Robotics: In robotics, flexible electronic skin enables robots to sense and respond to their
environment with human-like sensitivity. It enhances their ability to grasp objects, navigate
complex terrain, and interact safely with humans. Electronic skin also facilitates collaborative
robotics applications, where robots work alongside humans in shared spaces.
• Wearable Technology: Electronic skin is a key enabler of wearable technology, allowing for
the development of smart clothing, fitness trackers, and health monitoring devices. By
integrating sensors directly into clothing or accessories, electronic skin enables unobtrusive
monitoring of activity levels, posture, and biometric data, promoting wellness and performance
optimization.
• Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): Flexible electronic skin enhances the
immersive experience in VR and AR applications by providing haptic feedback to users. It
enables users to feel virtual objects and textures, enhancing realism and interactivity. Electronic
skin can also be integrated into haptic gloves and suits for more immersive training simulations
and gaming experiences.
• Human-Computer Interaction: Electronic skin enables more natural and intuitive human-
computer interaction, particularly in touch-sensitive devices and gesture recognition systems. It
allows users to interact with computers, smartphones, and other digital devices using gestures,
touches, and movements, enhancing user experience and accessibility.
• Biomedical Research: Researchers use electronic skin for studying skin physiology, wound
healing, and tissue engineering. It provides a versatile platform for in vitro and in vivo
experiments, enabling researchers to simulate and monitor biological processes with high
precision and control.
• Sports and Fitness: Electronic skin can be integrated into sports equipment, such as athletic
wearables and training gear, to monitor performance metrics and prevent injuries. It provides
athletes with real-time feedback on biomechanics, muscle activity, and fatigue levels, optimizing
training programs and enhancing sports performance.
• Military and Defense: In military and defense applications, electronic skin can be used for
soldier health monitoring, situational awareness, and camouflage systems. It enables soldiers to
monitor their physiological status in real-time, detect chemical or biological threats, and blend
into their surroundings more effectively.
CONCLUSION
Dept. of E&E, BIET, Davanagere Page | 15
FLEXIBLE ELECTRONIC SKIN
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dept. of E&E, BIET, Davanagere Page | 16
FLEXIBLE ELECTRONIC SKIN
References:
CONTACT DETAILS
USN 4BD20EE039
Email-Id sahanameti14@gmail.com
1
Mobile No. 8618184880
D/O Ramesh
#705/B/15/13A, Shetagar Chawl,
Address
Bailhongal- 591102
Taluk: Bailhongal District: Belagavi