Self-healing e-skin maps biosignals

The e-skin was fabricated using a flexible, stretchable polymer embedded with silver nanowires (AgNWs) and dynamic disulfide bonds. According to the team at the Terasaki Institute, this combination allows the material to autonomously repair cuts, tears, and breaks in seconds at room temperature, without the need for inputs like heat or light. Paired with wearable devices, the e-skin can map biosignals such as body movement, with potential for medical and consumer applications.

“This is a technology that completely redefines what’s possible for wearable devices,” said research lead Dr Yangzhi Zhu, a professor of nanoengineering at the institute.  

“By cutting the recovery time to under a minute, we’ve cleared one of the biggest hurdles on the road to practical, everyday use of electronic skin.”

During tests, the e-skin withstood over 50 cut-and-heal cycles and more than 50,000 bending cycles without significant loss of performance. It also maintained performance across a wide temperature and humidity range and even continued to function under running water.

Embedded within a wearable system, the e-skin was able to capture muscle activity data during exercise. The researchers then used an AI model to classify muscle fatigue states, distinguishing between relaxed, moderate, and extreme with an accuracy rate above 95 per cent.

“This work is a big step toward seamless, real-time health monitoring,” said Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, director and CEO of the Terasaki Institute.

“Wearable technologies are poised to play a major role in personalised healthcare, and innovations like this will help devices keep up with the demands of everyday life.”

The researchers are now exploring applications in sports performance tracking, prosthetic control systems and remote healthcare. They’re also investigating ways to scale up production using alternative conductive materials and advanced printing techniques like roll-to-roll processing and inkjet fabrication.