title: Characterizing skin using a three-axis parallel drive force-sensitive micro-robot.
abstract: There is a strong need to measure the complex mechanical properties of soft tissues such as skin. An in vivo experiment characterizing the mechanical response of human skin is presented. A rich set of deformations were applied to several positions on the arm using a novel force-sensitive micro-robot. All sites studied exhibit highly non-linear, anisotropic, and viscoelastic behavior. The experiments determined directions in which the skin response was stiffest. These directions agree with accepted orientations of Langer or relaxed skin tension lines.
authors.affiliation: Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. c.flynn@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Cormac
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Taberner
authors.forename: Poul M F
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D012867:Skin