Pressure and temperature sensitive e-skin for in situ robotic applications

CNT-PAN based sandwiched sensor: (i) conceptual design of our proposed sensor device and structure of sensing device, (iii) COMSOL simulation of concept sensor deformation under applied pressure, (ii), (iv) and (v) robot admiring new end effector sensors integrated with parallel gripper, with close-up of our in situ fabricated prototype sensor with Baxter robots end effector. [Display omitted] •Development of a multimodal pressure and temperature sensitive e-skin.•Successful integration on a curved surface via in situ electrospinning fabrication.•Good performance and excellent stability over 1000 cycles. E-skin with physical sensing capability has attracted considerable interest towards practical applications in soft robotics, human–machine interfaces, and wearable health monitoring. However, the development of a multimodal sensing platform with multiple layers for e-skin sensing of temperature and pressure has faced challenges due to the typical use of bare or single sensing layers as well as the complication of integration of multifunctional sensing modules onto curved surfaces. Herein, we demonstrate a new platform technology with multiple sandwiched layers of highly oriented carbon nanotube (CNT) films and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) for integration of pressure and temperature sensory functionalities into a single platform that is thin, ultra-lightweight, flexible, and wearable. The key technology of in-situ deposition of sensor platform on objects or in robot interface makes this a unique method for the development of e-skins for robotic applications, offering a new approach to wearable electronics and portable health care.