Navigating in virtual reality with contact lenses or operating a smartphone display under water: This and more could soon become reality thanks to innovative e-skins. A research team led by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has developed an electronic skin that can sense and precisely track magnetic fields with a single, global sensor. The artificial skin is not only light, transparent and permeable, but also mimics the interaction between real skin and brain.
The new E-Skins work with a magnetosensitive functional layer that serves as a global sensor surface and makes it possible to precisely localize the origin of magnetic signals. The principle: magnetic fields change the electrical resistance of the material. A central analysis unit calculates the signal location from these changes. This not only comes closer to the functional principle of real skin, but also saves energy. The layer system is deposited on thin films using sputtering and photolithography processes.
