Artificial skin? We made it — here’s why | Anna Maria Coclite | Ted Talks Daily

Intro

In this episode of Ted Talks Daily, physicist Anna Maria Coclite discusses her work on artificial skin that wearers can actually feel. She explains the science behind this groundbreaking technology and explores its potential applications in various fields.

Main Takeaways

Advancing Sensory Technology

• Physicist Anna Maria Cocliteis is working on artificial skin that wearers can feel.
• The artificial skin can respond to touch, temperature, and humidity at an unprecedented resolution.
• The main component of the skin is a stimuli responsive material that changes in shape when exposed to humidity, light, pH, or temperature changes.
• The skin is combined with a piezoelectric material that produces electricity when there is movement.
• The combination of these two materials allows for the artificial skin to sense objects smaller than what can be sensed with human skin.

Creating Artificial Skin

• Artificial skin is made up of cylinders that sense stimuli with high resolution.
• The cylinders are made using a template with holes filled with piezoelectric and stimuli responsive materials using vapor deposition.
• The skin is a complex material with multiple functions including protection, secretion, adsorption, heat regulation, and sensing.

Potential Applications

• Potential applications of artificial skin include helping burn victims regain sensation, monitoring hydration levels through smartwatches, and improving the safety of robots.
• Artificial skin could potentially provide a solution for prosthetics for people born without limbs or those who lose them during their life due to vascular diseases.
• Coating prosthetics with artificial skin could give people the sensation back.
• Artificial skin could not only help people regain capabilities but also augment them.

Hope for the Future

• Technologists are hopeful that this technology will continue to advance in the future.
• “With almost a decade of working in this field, I’m hopeful that technologists like this could help in the future not only regain but also maybe augment capabilities.” – Unnamed speaker

Summary

Advancing Sensory Technology

Physicist Anna Maria Cocliteis is at the forefront of developing artificial skin that can provide wearers with a sense of touch, temperature, and humidity at an unprecedented resolution. By combining stimuli responsive materials with piezoelectric materials, the artificial skin is able to sense objects smaller than what can be detected by human skin. This advancement in sensory technology opens up possibilities for various applications.

Creating Artificial Skin

The process of creating artificial skin involves using cylinders filled with stimuli responsive and piezoelectric materials. These cylinders are made using a template with holes and vapor deposition. The resulting complex material has multiple functions, including protection, secretion, adsorption, heat regulation, and sensing. This combination of materials and techniques allows for the development of highly advanced artificial skin.

Potential Applications

The potential applications of artificial skin are vast. It could be used to help burn victims regain sensation, monitor hydration levels through smartwatches, and improve the safety of robots. Additionally, artificial skin holds promise as a solution for prosthetics, providing individuals born without limbs or those who lose them due to vascular diseases with the ability to regain sensation and augment their capabilities. The possibilities for enhancing human experiences and improving quality of life are immense.

Hope for the Future

As advancements in artificial skin technology continue, there is hope for further breakthroughs and innovations. Technologists envision a future where capabilities can not only be regained but also augmented through the integration of artificial skin. With ongoing research and development, this field holds great promise for improving lives and pushing the boundaries of human potential.

Conclusion

Artificial skin is a remarkable technological advancement that has the potential to revolutionize various industries and improve the lives of many. With its ability to sense stimuli at an unprecedented resolution, artificial skin opens up possibilities for enhancing human experiences, aiding in medical treatments, and advancing the capabilities of robotics. The ongoing research and development in this field offer hope for a future where artificial skin becomes an integral part of our lives, helping us regain and augment our capabilities.