title: A bio-hybrid tactile sensor incorporating living artificial skin and an impedance sensing array.
abstract: The development of a bio-hybrid tactile sensor array that incorporates a skin analogue comprised of alginate encapsulated fibroblasts is described. The electrical properties are modulated by mechanical stress induced during contact, and changes are detected by a ten-channel dual-electrode impedance sensing array. By continuously monitoring the impedance of the sensor array at a fixed frequency, whilst normal and tangential loads are applied to the skin surface, transient mechanotransduction has been observed. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the preliminary prototype bio-hybrid tactile sensor.
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK. d.cheneler@lancaster.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cheneler
authors.affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PI, Italy. e.buselli@sssup.it.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Buselli
authors.affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PI, Italy. d.camboni@sssup.it.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Camboni
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Birmingham University, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. c.j.anthony@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anthony
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Birmingham University, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. l.m.grover@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Liam
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Birmingham University, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. m.j.adams@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michael John
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Polo Sant'Anna Valdera, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, Pontedera 56025, PI, Italy. oddoc@sssup.it.
authors.forename: Calogero Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Oddo
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004566:Electrodes; D006801:Humans; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology; D017768:Skin, Artificial; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*