Engineers from the University of Glasgow are working on electronic skin, more specifically a flexible photodetector, that could one day give future robots the ability to see light beyond the range of human vision. This newly-developed method of printing involves microscale semiconductors manufactured from gallium arsenide onto a flexible plastic surface.
This material offers the performance equivalent to the best conventional photodetectors available today, and are capable of withstanding hundreds of cycles of bending as well as flexing. It actually builds upon previous research from the team in which they developed a method of printing silicon circuitry directly onto the surface of flexible plastic. We already have electronic tattoos that embed smartphone controls on your skin.
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This latest development is the first time we’ve been able to print gallium arsenide onto flexible surfaces, opening up new avenues for our research. In the future, this type of light-sensitive flexible material could lend new abilities to robots. Mechanical arms used for manufacturing in light-sensitive environments, for example, could become capable of detecting when conditions change and the safety or effectiveness of their work is put at risk,” said Ravinder Dahiya, Professor at the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering.