Flexible and Stretchable Strategies for Electronic Skins: Materials, Structure, and Integration

The basic materials, designs, and integration strategies have accelerated the significant development of electronic skins (E-skins). E-skins can transform skin-like sensory stimulations into various types of information. They have been utilized for wearable devices, robotics, human-machine interfaces, and prosthetics. However, there are still challenges for E-skins to support complex and subtle recognition. This review discusses the materials, structural designs, and integrated techniques for E-skins. We first introduce the common materials to fabricate E-skins. Then, we discuss the sensing mechanisms and structural engineering to establish a tactile sensor. An emphasis on how to optimize the performance is also discussed. Following that, we introduce representative progress in E-skins and focus on their integration strategies and applications. Future challenges and possible opportunities in the E-skins are discussed in the conclusion.