New I-Skin forms healing bruises

Researchers have developed an artificial skin that sense force through ionic signals. This allows it to change colour from yellow to bruise-like purple and represents visual damage. This medical innovation will help us protect robots from damaging themselves through injury as they simply cannot feel pain like humans do.

Scientists, reporting in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces provide artificial I-skin that senses force through ionic signals. They have developed several types of e-skin that are able to sense stimuli through electronic transmission. This type of skin is not always bio compostable, causing scientists to limit their use in prosthetics.  On the other hand, ionic skins are the most like human skin as they use ions as charge carriers. In distinction to e-skins, these ionically conductive hydrogels have superior transparency, stretchability, and biocompatibility.

This incredible innovation in medical technology will make a huge difference to the world of robotics and prosthetic limbs that may not feel pain but are susceptible to being scratched and damaged.  This causes costly or irreplaceable damage leading to further damage, unlike human bruising that draws enough attention to get it checked – preventing further damage.