Bio‐Inspired Microchanneled Artificial Skin for Multi‐Modal Human‐Machine Interfaces

Abstract

ABSTRACT The development of artificial electronic skin (e‐skin) that replicates the tactile sensing capabilities of human skin offers transformative potential for intelligent robotics and next‐generation wearable technologies. However, achieving compact, energy‐efficient integration of multiple sensing modalities within a single platform remains a significant challenge. Here, we present a bio‐inspired microchanneled e‐skin, functioning as a microchanneled triboelectric nanogenerator (MC‐TENG), that enables self‐powered, multimodal sensing in a unified framework. The device incorporates a conducting gel synthesized by dispersing graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) into a polyvinyl alcohol/sodium nitrate matrix (PVA/NaNO 3 /GNPs), resulting in enhanced mechanical robustness with tensile and compressive strengths of 0.41 and 2.8 MPa, respectively. The MC‐TENG generates an output current of approximately 5.6 µA, with voltage and power outputs reaching 39.9 V and 0.44 mW, sufficient for operating low‐power electronics and detecting human motion. Fabricated e‐skin demonstrates excellent pressure, temperature, and stiffness sensitivity of ~1.81 V/kPa, ~42.7 mV/K, and ~7.43 × 10 −6 V/Nm −1 , respectively. Further, integration with a robotic arm enables functionalities such as object recognition, texture identification, and thermal sensing. This scalable, low‐cost, and self‐sustaining e‐skin platform represents a promising route toward more perceptive and interactive robotic systems, as well as advanced human‐machine interfaces.