Artificial skin could give humans 'superpowers'

Scientists have developed a sensor for artificial skin that may t only help burn victims feel but also lend humans 'superpowers' to detect sound waves and magnetic fields.

Our skin's ability to perceive pressure, heat, cold, and vibration is a critical safety function that most people take for granted. 

However, burn victims, those with prostic limbs, and ors who have lost skin sensitivity for one reason or ar, can t take it for granted, and often injure mselves unintentionally.

Researchers from University of Connecticut in US wanted to create a sensor that can mimic sensing properties of skin. Such a sensor would need to be able to detect pressure, temperature, and vibration. 

However, artificial skin could do or things too, researchers said.

"It would be very cool if it h abilities human skin does t; for example, ability to detect magnetic fields, sound waves, and abrmal behaviours," Islam Mosa from University of Connecticut.

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Researchers created such a sensor with a silicone tube wrapped in copper wire and filled with a special fluid me of tiny particles of iron oxide just one billionth of a meter long, called naparticles. 

naparticles rub around inside of silicone tube and create an electric current. copper wire surrounding silicone tube picks up current as a signal. 

When this tube is bumped by something experiencing pressure, naparticles move and electric signal changes. Sound waves also create waves in naparticle fluid and electric signal changes in a different way than when tube is bumped.

researchers found that magnetic fields alter signal too, in a way distinct from pressure or sound waves. 

Even a person moving around while carrying sensor changes electrical current, and team found y could distinguish between electrical signals caused by walking, running, jumping, and swimming.

Metal skin could perhaps act as an early warning for workers exposed to dangerously high magnetic fields.

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Because rubber exterior is completely sealed and waterproof, it could also serve as a wearable monitor to alert parents if ir child fell into deep water in a pool, for example.

" inspiration was to make something durable that would last for a very long time, and could detect multiple hazards," Mosa said. 

team has yet to test sensor for its response to heat and cold, but y suspect it will work for those as well. next step is to make sensor in a flat configuration, more like skin, and see if it still works.