Imitation leather with touch

Scientists have printed tactile skin on a 3D printer

Tatiana Matveeva, "Scientific Russia"

Scientists from the UK have developed an artificial fingertip that can create artificial nerve signals similar to the signals of human "tactile neurons", according to the University of Bristol. The discovery is described in detail in two articles published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface (1, 2). Researchers created a sense of touch in an artificial fingertip using a 3D-printed grid of pin-shaped papillae (pictured below). They mimic the dermal papillae, which are located between the outer epidermis and the inner layer of human skin.

Papillae are printed on advanced 3D printers that can mix soft and hard materials to create complex structures.

Scientists have discovered that a printed fingertip can generate artificial neural signals that look like recordings of human signals. Human "tactile neurons" transmit signals from various nerve endings – mechanoreceptors – that can signal the degree of pressure and the form of tactile contact.

During testing, the artificial fingertip "felt" ribbed shapes – and this reaction was very similar to the reaction of human skin to the same relief surfaces. The electrical recordings of artificial sensation were similar to the first electrical recordings of human nerve impulses from touching ribbed shapes, which were made back in 1981. 

However, the artificial fingertip was not so sensitive to small details. The authors of the work suggest that this is due to the fact that the skin printed on a 3D printer is thicker than the real one. Now the team is studying how to print structures on a microscopic scale of human skin.

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