HD TV on your Skin?

E-skin is 10 Times Lighter than Normal Skin

Beyond transparent tattoos that take the form of the skin, the latest is the e-skin frenzy that is taking science to the next level.

Electronic skin or e-skin is a thin, translucent material that can replicate the functions and mechanical properties of human skin. As more and more hardcore evidence keeps appearing every other day on the uses of this e-skin in the medical, scientific and engineering domain, different types and sizes of wearable e-skins are produced and marketed.

The new e-skin is multifunctional:

1. It helps to measure temperature, pressure, humidity and air flow
2. It has a new covalently bonded dynamic network polymer called as polyimine which is present along with silver nanoparticles and thus, helps to provide mechanical strength, chemical stability and electrical conductivity.
3. The polyimine enhances the self-healing capability of the e-skin and also keeps it recyclable at room temperature.
4. The recyclable nature of the e-skin helps to minimize expenses and is more sustainable when compared to the millions of tons of electronic waste that is spawned annually.
   
   

The Hollywood movie ‘Terminator’ was our favorite as kids. We used to watch in awe whenever the hero’s skin used to re-heal within seconds after being injured, cut or shot. Though the e-skin might not be as dynamic as the one shown in the movie, the healing nature is brought about by three commercially available compounds in ethanol. This skin can attune to the curved surface of the human arms or robotic hands only with moderate heat and pressure without extreme stress application.

The e-skin has been designed to mimic our natural skin. For instance, the era where robots will take care of babies is not a distant dream but a nearby reality. In this case, we would love to incorporate the e-skin on the robot fingers that can feel the pressure of the baby. The baby would have the feeling that he/she is carried by his/her loved ones.

Recycling the skin is not much of a difficult task and all you have to do is soak the device in recycling solution to degrade polymers into oligomers and monomers that are soluble in ethanol. This makes the silver nanoparticles sink to the bottom of the solution. These nanoparticles and the recycled skin can then be used to make new, functional e-skin.
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What Makes this E-skin Extra Special?

1. It can be worn like a second skin
2. E-skin is 10 times thinner than normal skin and much lighter than a feather
3. It can monitor electronic tattoos. Using tattoos to notify health is the latest trend and when e-skin is used in this area too, it is even more better. Read more on using tattoos to monitor body health at www.firsteatright.com.