Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden) have developed an active matrix magnetic sensor system that could one day be used as electronic skin for robots.

The system consists of a 2 x 4 array of magnetic sensors, an organic bootstrap shift register that is required for controlling the sensor matrix and organic signal amplifiers. All electronic components of the sensors are based on organic thin-film transistors and integrated into a single platform.

The system features high magnetic sensitivity and can acquire the two-dimensional magnetic field distribution in real time and is robust against mechanical deformation such as bending, creasing or kinking. This is a step toward active matrix electronic skin for robotic and wearable applications.

Electronic skin is seen as a necessary step toward allowing robots to operate on soft and elastic surfaces as well as be able to differentiate between what the robot naturally feels or can pick up. Previous work with electronic skin and magnetic sensors required an array with individual sensors. But in order to reduce the necessary wiring, these shift registers, amplifiers, current sources and switches must be combined with magnetic sensors in integrated devices.

"Our first integrated magnetic functionalities prove that thin-film flexible magnetic sensors can be integrated within complex organic circuits,” said Oliver G. Schmidt, director at IFW Dresden. “Ultra-compliant and flexible nature of these devices is indispensable feature for modern and future applications such as soft-robotics, implants and prosthetics. The next step is to increase the number of sensors per surface area as well as to expand the electronic skin to fit larger surfaces."

The full research can be found in the journal Science Advances.