Empa researchers are investigating the potential of ceramic-based sensors to give robots and prosthetics a sense of touch comparable to that of human skin.
Ceramics have unsuspected capabilities. To the point that this material could give robots the sense of touch. This is the goal of researcher Frank Clemens and his team at Empa’s high-performance ceramics laboratory. The press release from the research institute emphasizes that such sensors “feel” temperature, expansion, pressure or humidity, among other things.
The ceramic we are talking about here is not quite similar to earthenware or porcelain. The term actually refers to an inorganic, non-metallic material made from an assembly of loose particles in a process known as high-temperature sintering. The composition of ceramics can vary, incorporating potassium niobate, sodium niobate, zinc oxide and even carbon particles. In order to make them flexible sensors, researchers integrate them into extensible plastics.
A major challenge has been to create sensors that react selectively, for example only to pressure or temperature. This selectivity is obtained thanks to artificial intelligence algorithms, developed in collaboration with the University of Cambridge. These models, trained on 4,500 measurements, simulate how the human brain interprets nerve signals from the skin.
Multiple applications: from prosthetics to biohybrid robots
These sensors have been integrated into prosthetics and artificial skin capable of responding to touch and heat. And the advances don’t stop there: in partnership with researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Tokyo, the team has developed a biohybrid robot combining ceramic sensors and biocompatible artificial muscles. This work was published in the specialist journal “Advanced Intelligent Systems”.
By using the specific properties of muscle cells, such as those of skeletal or cardiac muscles, to generate forces, this research project aims to create bioactuators capable of outperforming synthetic materials. Unlike the latter, muscles offer unique qualities: flexibility, ability to adapt, to repair themselves, or even to detect their environment. Such technology could not only inspire medical implants and bioelectronic devices, but also give biohybrid robots some decision-making autonomy.
Note that robots with a versatile structure and advanced software are among the trends highlighted by Gartner in its “Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2025”.
