University professor develops bionic skin that has sense of touch

Takao Someya, an electric engineer at the University of Tokyo, has developed the first flexible bionic skin in the world. The design has been in progress since 2003, but a decade from its 2005 award as one of 'The Best Invention's of 2005' by Time Magazine, the bionic skin has progressed even further. The skin is more sensitive through new added functionalities which enable it to detect fluctuations in pressure, that could be used to determine breast cancer tumours and painless monitoring without the use of radiation. Furthermore it can now bend without breaking, enabling it to wrap around normal skin surfaces. Other applications used include monitoring oxygen levels for athletes or even helping stimulate a stronger grip for athletes in racket sports. Someya said in a statement, "We've started to apply e-skin for clinical use and health monitoring... and other similar applications in healthcare, welfare, and sports".

Takao Someya, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Tokyo, has been developing bionic skin since 2003.

Takao Someya

Dubbed one of the "Best Inventions of 2005" by Time Magazine, the e-skin at the time was already capable of detecting pressure and temperature changes — capabilities that could be used to give robots the sense of touch.

Fast forward almost a decade and Someya's invention is now the first ultrathin flexible bionic skin in the world, meaning it can bend without breaking. That's important because it means it can wrap around surfaces just like normal skin.

Someya and his team have also added functionalities like ultra-sonic sensitivity, allowing it to detect subtle changes in pressure. The electronic skin could be used to make gloves capable of detecting breast cancer tumors.

"Tumors are normally more rigid than breast tissue, so we can input that data to the sensor attached to the glove," Someya told Tech Insider over email.

"It is too early to argue a substitute of mammograms, and we have to accumulate medical knowledge as to how accurately the existence of tumors in breast can be detected," he continued. "However, the new sensors may offer easy and painless monitoring of tumors without exposure to radiation."

Takao Someya

But e-skin has potential in a lot of other areas too. It could be used to pick-up signals from the brain and transmit them to a prosthetic so it moves. The bionic skin can also monitor oxygen levels, which could be used in surgery or to make e-skin heart rate sensors for athletes.

There's also non-medical uses for the bionic skin as well. It could be used to help athletes figure out the proper pressure for gripping a tennis racket or golf club, for example.

Electronic skin is at least a few years out from entering the public domain, but Someya's invention could change fields from medicine to sports.

"The application of e-skin should not be limited just to robots," Someya said. "We've started to apply e-skin for clinical use and health monitoring... and other similar applications in healthcare, welfare, and sports."