AISkin gets a grip on human skin sensations

The team from the University of Toronto believe the properties of AISkin (artificial ionic skin) could lead to advances wearable electronics, personal health care and robotics.

"Since it's hydrogel, it's inexpensive and biocompatible - you can put it on the skin without any toxic effects. It's also very adhesive, and it doesn't fall off, so there are so many avenues for this material," said Prof Xinyu Liu, whose lab focuses on the emerging areas of ionic skin and soft robotics.

Self-healing thermoelectric material adds durability to wearables

Stretchable skin sensors create full body network

According to the University of Toronto, AISkin is made of two oppositely charged sheets of hydrogels. By overlaying negative and positive ions, the researchers create a so-called "sensing junction" on the gel's surface.

When the AISkin is subjected to strain, humidity or changes in temperature, it generates controlled ion movements across the sensing junction, which can be measured as electrical signals such as voltage or current.