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Bioinspired Triboelectric Nanogenerators as Self‐Powered Electronic Skin for Robotic Tactile Sensing
Author(s) -
Yao Guo,
Xu Liang,
Cheng Xiaowen,
Li Yangyang,
Huang Xin,
Guo Wei,
Liu Shaoyu,
Wang Zhong Lin,
Wu Hao
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201907312
Subject(s) - triboelectric effect , electronic skin , handshaking , materials science , tactile sensor , soft robotics , nanotechnology , bending , artificial skin , robotics , pressure sensor , biomedical engineering , computer science , mechanical engineering , artificial intelligence , robot , computer hardware , engineering , composite material
Electronic skin (e‐skin) has been under the spotlight due to great potential for applications in robotics, human–machine interfaces, and healthcare. Meanwhile, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been emerging as an effective approach to realize self‐powered e‐skin sensors. In this work, bioinspired TENGs as self‐powered e‐skin sensors are developed and their applications for robotic tactile sensing are also demonstrated. Through the facile replication of the surface morphology of natural plants, the interlocking microstructures are generated on tribo‐layers to enhance triboelectric effects. Along with the adoption of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tinny burrs on the microstructured tribo‐surface, the sensitivity for pressure measurement is boosted with a 14‐fold increase. The tactile sensing capability of the TENG e‐skin sensors are demonstrated through the characterizations of handshaking pressure and bending angles of each finger of a bionic hand during handshaking with human. The TENG e‐skin sensors can also be utilized for tactile object recognition to measure surface roughness and discern hardness. The facile fabrication scheme of the self‐powered TENG e‐skin sensors enables their great potential for applications in robotic dexterous manipulation, prosthetics, human–machine interfaces, etc.