New concept pressure sensor mimicking sensory organs in human skin
Possible applications include diverse fields including display, medical, fuel cell and various kinds of sensors

A research team led by professor Chang-Soo Han of Korea University developed an ultra-sensitive soft pressure sensor which replicates ‘human skin’s sensory organs’ to their cell level. The sensor also consumes very low power or no power at all.

Concerned parties in the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the research project explained that the research is meaningful in that “it resulted in a new form of sensor completely departed from existing concept, which can be applied to various industrial fields where power consumption is an important concern, such as IoT, machinery, electronics, energy, environment, etc. It is also expected to become a core source technology to create a variety of new concept sensors including sensors imitating animal’s sensory organs.”

Supported by Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and Center for Advanced Soft Electronics (CASE), the core element of the technology is an ion channel sensor. The artificial sensor imitates a living cell’s sensory organ mechanism, resulting in following characteristics:
• It can be used semi-permanently with little energy requirement (little or no energy consumption at all) as it utilizes kinetic energy of ionic liquid.
• It does not need a lot of electronic devices including electronic circuits, amplifiers, etc.
• It is a new concept, wearable pressure-sensing element with flexibility which enables it to take a variety of forms and to detect pressure on any curved surface of human body.

 
▲Demonstration of monitoring blood pressure in real time using an ion channel sensor

With a proper combination of three elements such as receptor, electrolyte and ion channel, the research result enables highly sensitive pressure sensing in a wide range of pressure and wide variety of motion.

As it also implements a new form of sensor which is small and highly sensitive and capable of simultaneous sensing of diverse and complex sensory information such as heat, flow, pressure, weight, smell, etc., it is expected to play an important role in achieving sensor networks suitable for ubiquitous environment.

Utilization of artificial ion channel system is not limited to only sensor. It can be also used in ion generator, ion cell, electrolyte membrane for fuel cell, etc. Suitable for national green energy promotion policy, it is expected to have a great ripple effect on relevant industries.

The study result by professor Chang’s research team (Korea University) has been published in online version of April 12 issue of ACS Nano, an internationally authoritative academic journal in the field of nanotechnology.