Stretchable, Adhesive, and Bioinspired Visual Electronic Skin with Strain/Temperature/Pressure Multimodal Non-Interference Sensing

Itis highly desirable to construct a single-multimodal sensorthat could synchronously perceive multiple stimuli without interference.Here, we propose an adhesive multifunctional chromotropic electronicskin (MCES) that can respond to and distinguish three different stimuliof stain, temperature, and pressure within the two-terminal sensingunit. The mutually discriminating three-in-one deviceconverts strain into capacitance and pressure into voltage signalsfor a tactile stimulus response and produces visual color changesagainst temperature. In this MCES system, the interdigital capacitorsensor shows high linearity (R (2) = 0.998),and temperature sensing is realized via reversiblemulticolor switching bioinspired by the chameleon, showing attractivepotential in visualization interaction. Notably, the energy-harvestingtriboelectric nanogenerator in MCES can not only detect pressure incentivebut also identify objective material species. Looking forward, thesefindings promise for multimodal sensor technology with reduced complexityand production costs that are highly anticipated in soft robotics,prosthetics, and human-machine interaction applications.

Automated summary

A multifunctional chromotropic electronic skin (MCES) that can respond to and distinguish three different stimuli - stain, temperature, and pressure - has been proposed. This skin converts strain into capacitance and pressure into voltage signals for tactile stimulus response, and produces visual color changes against temperature. The MCES system shows high linearity and has potential applications in soft robotics, prosthetics, and human-machine interaction.