E-skin has medical, personal, gaming applications

LANZHOU — Chinese researchers have recently developed a new type of self-powered, flexible and transparent electronic skin, or e-skin, that is capable of monitoring subtle activity, opening up new possibilities for the future of wearable electronics.

This e-skin integrates a flexible transparent supercapacitor for energy storage with a transparent strain sensor, said Lan Wei, professor at the School of Physical Science and Technology of Lanzhou University and leader of the research team.

"It is inspired by the sensory functions and performance of real human skin," he added. "Thanks to its mechanical suppleness, it can be directly attached to various locations on the body to monitor activity.