Bioinspired robot skin with mechanically gated electron channels for sliding tactile perception

Abstract

Human-like tactile perception is critical for promoting robotic intelligence. However, reproducing tangential “sliding” perception of human skin is still struggling. Inspired by the lateral gating mechanosensing mechanism of mechanosensory cells, which perceives mechanical stimuli by lateral tension–induced opening-closing of ion channels, we report a robot skin (R-skin) with mechanically gated electron channels, achieving ultrasensitive and fast-response sliding tactile perception via pyramidal artificial fingerprint-triggered opening-closing of electron gates (E-gates, namely, customized V-shaped cracks within embedded mesh electron channels). By imitating cytomembrane to modulate membrane mechanics, local strain is enhanced at E-gates to effectively regulate electron pathways for high sensitivity while weakened at other positions to suppress random cracks for robust stability. The R-skin can directly recognize ultrafine surface microstructure (5 μm) at a response frequency (485 Hz) outshining humans and achieve human-like sliding perception functions, including dexterously distinguishing texture of complex-shaped objects and providing real-time feedback for grasping.