There is no end to what all human beings can do, but at the same time, there is little we do better than growing on a consistent basis. This tendency to improve, no matter the situation, has brought the world some huge milestones, with technology emerging as quite a major member of the group. The reason why we hold technology in such a high regard is, by and large, predicated upon its skill-set, which guided us towards a reality that nobody could have ever imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, if we look beyond the surface for a second, it will become clear how the whole runner was also very much inspired from the way we applied those skills across a real world environment. The latter component, in fact, did a lot to give the creation a spectrum-wide presence, and as a result, initiate a full-blown tech revolution. Of course, this revolution then went on to scale up the human experience through some outright unique avenues, but even after achieving a feat so notable, technology will somehow continue to bring forth the right goods. The same has turned more and more evident in recent times, and assuming one new discovery ends up with the desired impact, it will only put that trend on a higher pedestal moving forward.

The researching team at Pennsylvania State University has successfully created a sensor, which can be highly sensitive and reliably linear over a broad range of applications, while simultaneously boasting an ability to work under large pressure preloads. Now, it might not seem like that at the outset, it’s actually a major breakthrough, considering how researchers have long struggled to make a cost-effective and highly sensitive sensor necessary for applications, such as detecting subtle pulses, operating robotic limbs, and creating ultrahigh-resolution scales. But how did the team in question managed to break this deadlock? Well, according to certain reports, they used a pressure sensor consisting of gradient micro-pyramidal structures and an ultrathin ionic layer to instigate a more suitable capacitive response. Mind you, though, it’s not to say the whole discovery was a smooth-sailing. You see, during the initial phase, the researchers constantly came across an issue where the high sensitivity of the microstructures would decrease as the pressure increased, and the random microstructures that were templated from natural objects used to result in uncontrollable deformation and a narrow linear range. To take on this particular challenge, the team designed microstructure patterns through a CO₂ laser with a Gaussian beam, patterns that could increase the linear range without decreasing the sensitivity. The team notably geared the stated method towards iontronic sensor, which is an iteration of soft electronics that can mimic the perception functions of human skin. Anyway, owing to this novel approach, the researchers succeeded in achieving a simpler and more financially feasible brand of operation. Apart from it, they further clocked better response rates and recovery times, alongside an excellent repeatability from an overall standpoint.

“The sensor can detect a tiny pressure when large pressure is already applied,” said Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, James L. Henderson Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State and co-author of the research. “An analogy I like to use is it’s like detecting a fly on top of an elephant. It can measure the slightest change in pressure, just like our skin does with touch.”

Interestingly enough, the study also revealed how fabrication approaches and design toolkit from this work can be used to adjust the pressure sensor performance for varying target applications. In case that’s not impressive, then we must mention its potential for birthing other iontronic sensors, the range of sensors that use ionic liquids such as an ultrathin ionic layer.

When quizzed regarding how the technology has looked in practice so far, Cheng responded by saying:

“We were also able to detect not only the pulse from the wrist but also from the other distal vascular structures like the eyebrow and the fingertip. In addition, we combine that with the control system to show that this is possible to use for the future of human robotic interactional collaboration. Also, we envision other healthcare uses, such as someone who has lost a limb and this sensor could be part of a system to help them control a robotic limb.”