A Human-Machine Interface Just a Few Microns Thick

Photo credit: Innovate Healthcare

Researchers at the University of Houston have announced a new wearable human-machine interface (HMI) that is barely noticeable. The ultra-thin device is just a few microns thick with the potential to work on a prosthetic or robotic skin.

Cunjiang Yu, the Bill D. Cook Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Houston, has led the discovery (reported August 2019). Associate Professor Yu said, “…the device provides a robust human-machine interface” but still “allows the wearer to move naturally. It is less noticeable than wearing a Band-Aid”.

The University of Houston team invented the new wearable to overcome the bulkiness of many other devices on the market and to overcome the drop in performance that many wearables suffer over time. Their device, described recently in Science Advances is a metal oxide semiconductor on a polymer base that offers clear manufacturing advantages e.g. an ability to be processed at temperatures lower than 300C. It captures multiple physical data from human users and gives intelligent feedback on robots (forming a closed-loop HMI).

For further information, check out this article from Innovate Healthcare.