Development of smart skin for high resolution multi-sensing

Informations projet

Smart Skin

N° de convention de subvention: 101123099

DOI

10.3030/101123099

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 8 Juin 2023

Date de début 1 Septembre 2023

Date de fin 28 Février 2025

Financé au titre de

• European Research Council (ERC)

Coût total

Aucune donnée

Contribution de l’UE

€ 150 000,00

Coordonné par

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI BARI ALDO MORO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Smart Skin (Development of smart skin for high resolution multi-sensing)

Période du rapport: 2023-09-01 au 2025-02-28

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

Smart Skin aimed at testing the viability for commercialization of an electronic skin device based on sensors responsive to temperature, humidity and force at a resolution higher than human skin. At the moment, different sensors have to be implemented in the electronic skin matrix for each stimulus. As a result, the existing technologies are complex, expensive, sometimes based on toxic materials or are not able to demonstrate multi-stimuli responsiveness and high resolution.

Smart Skin is an electronic skin based on a simplified design, biocompatible materials and a process with low environmental footprint. It is based on a multi-responsive sensor developed within the ERC Starting Grant “Smart Core”. The sensoric unit is made of an array of core-shell nanorods consisting of a smart hydrogel and a piezoelectric Zinc oxide (ZnO). The fabrication of the sensor consists exclusively of process steps that can be carried out sequentially in a pilot line, such as vacuum evaporation for the electrodes, nanoimprint lithography and chemical vapor deposition (for the hydrogel core and the piezoelectric shell). The stimuli detection is achieved through measuring the piezoelectric current generated in response to humidity, temperature and force stimulation.

The to-date demonstrated spatial resolution of other electronic skin is 2 mm2, the resolution of human skin is 1 mm2 and the one demonstrated by Smart Skin is 0.25 mm2 (10 times the resolution of current electronic skins on the market) with low hysteresis. Robotics and smart prosthetics would greatly benefit from a more integrated and precise sensoring information. Extremely high resolution could be used to detect very small objects, e.g. microorganisms in healthcare, surpassing the capability of human skin. Enabling these new features would make robots used in households, for example, aware of dangerous increases in temperature and in general more human friendly because they would be more responsive.

The prototype response to finger touch and air blown from a human mouth demonstrates the sensor applicability as e-skin element. In addition, the resilience tests made in this PoC demonstrated that the artificial skin prototype can be used in real-world environment.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

The project helped defining the characteristics of the technology in terms of viability to the market, stability and resiliency. Such information is of extreme importance when one thinks of possible applications. Essentially 4 objectives were identified for this project:
1. Market research: its aim was to identify the most promising sector for the application of SMART SKIN technology. The markets, identified as potential application areas were robotics, prosthetics, artificial skin, smart clothes. The main achievement were that
• The most promising sector for the application of SMART SKIN technology is robotics, both industrial and non-industrial. Non-medical applications present the greatest opportunity, as they do not require costly solutions.
• One strong current need in this sector is in handling systems, particularly when robots interact with soft and delicate objects (such as agricultural robots or those used in assembly lines), when they interact with humans (CoBots), or when high flexibility is required (Humanoid Robots).
2. Prototype optimization: a prototype was developed and tested in various conditions to define the functional requirements. The realization of the prototype demonstrated, that the manufacturing of the multi-sensitive smart skin is possible using continuous and established processes using only abundant and biocompatible materials, which is an important milestone for a future industrial application. The main identified specs are:
• The sensitivity ranges (min-max) of the device in measuring the three parameters: pressure, temperature and humidity.
• The operating environment conditions. The environment must always be a little humid to ensure that the device works. Light does not affect the measurement.
• Power supply. It is a passive device, so it does not need power to work. However, if one wants to interface the device with a wireless transmitter, this will need batteries.
• Stability. The sensor is very resilient towards humidity stimulation, provided that the necessary time for drying is given, but it can be compromised by continuos strong touch after 2 hours.
• Sustainability of the materials and production process. The materials are biocompatible. They are produced with a sustainable process and the amount of these materials needed for the device is very small.
3. Product concept: a review of existing technologies and products addressing the same need as SMART SKIN was carried out. By analysing market-ready solutions, it was possible to establish a benchmark for the technology’s future development and outline a preliminary product concept. To validate the assumptions made, key industry stakeholders were engaged. The market segment related to handling systems for agricultural robots was identified as the most promising and accessible for leveraging SMART SKIN technology.
4. Business strategy development: a structured multi-phase business strategy was outlined to successfully develop and commercialize the SMART SKIN technology within the agricultural robotics sector.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

The main result of the PoC project was the realization that the SMART SKIN technology has the potential to overcome existing limitations in gripper sensor technology.

A gripper built around SMART SKIN would achieve sensitivity exceeding that of the human hand across its surface. The sensor’s minimal hardware footprint and its high responsiveness to varying pressure levels would enable the gripper to instantly adapt to changes in volume and weight, mirroring human dexterity. Moreover, the ability to produce the sensor cost-effectively at scale would significantly reduce the final effector’s cost, making it commercially viable for its target market. With this breakthrough, SMART SKIN can solve the key challenges that have long hindered agricultural robotic harvesting:
• Precision Handling for Fragile Fruits: Our SMART SKIN pressure sensors provide real-time, high-resolution feedback on touch forces, allowing the gripper to adjust pressure dynamically, ensuring fruits are picked without bruising or damage.
• Adaptive Grasping for Any Shape. The pressure-sensitive skin enables the gripper to conform naturally to different fruit geometries, dynamically adjusting its grip without requiring hardware changes.
• Cutting Costs Without Compromising Performance. With a simpler design, fewer mechanical parts, and no need for complex control algorithms, this solution delivers premium performance at a fraction of the cost, making large-scale robotic harvesting economically viable.

In conclusion, our SMART SKIN - powered gripper is not just an incremental improvement - it is a paradigm shift in robotic harvesting. By providing affordable, human-like tactile sensing, we bridge the gap between delicate human touch and the efficiency of automation, ensuring higher fruit quality, reduced waste, and a scalable solution for modern agriculture.
The key actions necessary to advance the technology from its current state to market adoption are Step 1: Identifying and Engaging Key Agricultural Partners; Step 2: Securing Funding and Project Management; Step 3: Commercialization, Startup Formation, and Intellectual Property Management.