Biomimetic temperature sensing layer for artificial skins

TL;DR

This paper introduces a biomimetic pectin film that mimics pit viper membranes, achieving high sensitivity and wide-range temperature detection for artificial skins, surpassing existing flexible sensors.

Contribution

The study presents a novel pectin-based membrane that replicates pit viper sensing, offering improved sensitivity and range for artificial skin applications.

Findings

Sensitivity of at least 10 mK across 45 K range

Able to detect warm bodies at distance

Integrable as a layer in artificial skins

Abstract

Artificial membranes that are sensitive to temperature are needed in robotics to augment interactions with humans and the environment and in bioengineering to improve prosthetic limbs. Existing flexible sensors achieved sensitivities of <100 mK and large responsivity albeit within narrow (<5 K) temperature ranges. Other flexible devices, working in wider temperature ranges, exhibit orders of magnitude poorer responses. However, much more versatile and temperature sensitive membranes are present in animals such as pit vipers, whose pit membranes have the highest sensitivity and responsivity in nature and are used to locate warm-blooded preys at distance. Here, we show that pectin films mimic the sensing mechanism of pit membranes and parallel their record performances. These films map temperature on surfaces with a sensitivity of at least 10 mK in a wide temperature range (45 K), have very high responsivity, and detect warm bodies at distance. The produced material can be integrated as a layer in artificial skins platforms and boost their temperature sensitivity to reach the best biological performance.