Author: Aldiyarbek Nurlan
Translator: Tursunova Balkadisha
Editor: Akhmetova Aigerim
There are many reasons why researchers believe that it is necessary to record movements and other manipulations related to the hands and fingers. Our hands are our main tools for interacting directly with our environment. By recording the way the hands perform various tasks, it can help researchers in areas such as sports and medicine, as well as neuroengineering, etc. But getting this data is not easy.
The researchers made two types of layers for their sensors. Both layers were created using a process called electric spinning, which resembles a spider weaving its web. One of them is an insulating polyurethane mesh with fibers from 200 to 400 nanometers thick, which is about one five-hundredth of the thickness of a human hair. The second layer is a grid of lines in the form of a stencil, which forms the functional electronic component of the sensor. It is made of gold and uses a support support made of polyvinyl alcohol, often found in contact lenses, which is washed off after manufacture to leave only traces of the gold it supported. The combination of several layers forms a functional pressure and motion sensor.
"We conducted a thorough set of tests of our sensors using 18 subjects," the researchers said. "They confirmed that the sensors were invisible and did not affect either the ability to capture objects through friction or the perceived sensitivity compared to performing the same task without an attached sensor. This is exactly the result we were hoping for."
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201119141727.htm