Skin-inspired, sensory robots for electronic implants

Lin Zhang, Sicheng Xing, Haifeng Yin, Hannah Weisbecker, Hiep Thanh Tran, Ziheng Guo, Tianhong Han, Yihang Wang, Yihan Liu, Yizhang Wu, Wanrong Xie, Chuqi Huang, Wei Luo, Michael Demaesschalck, Collin McKinney, Samuel Hankley, Amber Huang, Brynn Brusseau, Jett Messenger, Yici Zou and Wubin Bai ()
Additional contact information
Lin Zhang: University of North Carolina
Sicheng Xing: University of North Carolina
Haifeng Yin: University of North Carolina
Hannah Weisbecker: University of North Carolina
Hiep Thanh Tran: University of North Carolina
Ziheng Guo: University of North Carolina
Tianhong Han: North Carolina State University
Yihang Wang: University of North Carolina
Yihan Liu: University of North Carolina
Yizhang Wu: University of North Carolina
Wanrong Xie: University of North Carolina
Chuqi Huang: University of North Carolina
Wei Luo: University of North Carolina
Michael Demaesschalck: University of North Carolina
Collin McKinney: University of North Carolina
Samuel Hankley: University of North Carolina
Amber Huang: University of North Carolina
Brynn Brusseau: University of North Carolina
Jett Messenger: Purdue University
Yici Zou: University of North Carolina
Wubin Bai: University of North Carolina

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: Abstract Drawing inspiration from cohesive integration of skeletal muscles and sensory skins in vertebrate animals, we present a design strategy of soft robots, primarily consisting of an electronic skin (e-skin) and an artificial muscle. These robots integrate multifunctional sensing and on-demand actuation into a biocompatible platform using an in-situ solution-based method. They feature biomimetic designs that enable adaptive motions and stress-free contact with tissues, supported by a battery-free wireless module for untethered operation. Demonstrations range from a robotic cuff for detecting blood pressure, to a robotic gripper for tracking bladder volume, an ingestible robot for pH sensing and on-site drug delivery, and a robotic patch for quantifying cardiac function and delivering electrotherapy, highlighting the application versatilities and potentials of the bio-inspired soft robots. Our designs establish a universal strategy with a broad range of sensing and responsive materials, to form integrated soft robots for medical technology and beyond.

Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48903-z Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-48903-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48903-z

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().