Development and characterization of a highly sensitive magnetic electronic skin for intelligent manipulators

•Design of a magnetic electronic skin with three-layer structure based on tunneling magnetoresistance effect.•The material is easy to prepare and the process is simple.•High sensitivity, high flexibility, wide force range and good dynamic response.•The electronic skin is mounted on the robot and recognizes the surface contours of the object when it is grasped.•Roll an object across the e-skin and it captures dynamic force trajectories. A magnetic electronic skin (e-skin) with high sensitivity, flexibility, and wide force measurement range was designed. The e-skin includes a top magnetic film layer, a middle polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer and a bottom tunneling magnetoresistive sensor layer. The magnetic film layer is composed of neodymium-iron-boron particles (Nd2Fe14B) and PDMS. A test platform was established. The test results showed that the e-skin could measure forces in the range of 0.05–20 N, with a static sensitivity of 287 mV/N within 0–1 N, followed by a gradual decrease in sensitivity with an increase in static force. The resolution of the electronic skin was 0.05 N, and the change in sensitivity under dynamic force was less than 3.17 %. The response time and recovery time were 41 ms and 40 ms, respectively. This study provides a foundation for further research and development of advanced electronic skins for use in a variety of flexible electronic applications.