NC State Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Professors Orlin Velev and Lilian Hsiao are leading a research initiative on tactile sensing. Emerging technologies for skin-mounted sensors and human-machine interfaces require the development of tactile, haptic, and biosensing patches that are inexpensive, based on bio-derived materials, and minimize e-waste. This project will deliver a new class of soft tactile and biomarker sensors using replaceable “exo-skin” patches that are sourced completely from natural biopolymers, biocompatible, and biodegradable materials.
The sensors represent cutting-edge technology that will make them functionally similar to connected artificial skin and available for sustainable daily use. The hierarchical hydrogel networks and matrix materials meet the mechanical requirements of flexible electronics, are compatible with additive manufacturing processes, and will be 100% biodegradable. Many of the current materials and structures used in soft electronic devices are expensive and made of materials that may be irritating or uncomfortable to human skin. The forthcoming widespread daily use of wearable sensors that are disposable for convenience can generate large volumes of e-waste and subsequent microplastics pollution. This project addresses these problems by using whole array patch devices that are 100% made of common biopolymers of natural origin and will be completely biodegradable.
Moreover, this project will deliver a new class of soft ionotronic haptic sensors that will be made completely from natural biopolymers. These soft patches can be used in personalized health monitoring, while serving as user touch input devices, prosthetic controllers, exo-suit controllers, acceleration, and impact detection. They could also advance the fields of augmented reality and distributed environmental threat detection. The PIs are collaborating with the ASSIST Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies at NC State submitted a $545K proposal to the Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC) which was not funded. Drs. Velev and Hsiao are also pursuing larger scale funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), DARPA, and the Army Research Office. KIETS support will enable a graduate student to continue to develop this research in order to demonstrate results and data to pursue these funding opportunities.