Recent Developments in Graphene-Based Tactile Sensors and E-Skins

Human skin, the largest organ of human body, can perceive tactile sensations, temperature, humidity, and other complex environmental stimulations. To mimic the capabilities of human skin, graphene provides great potential in building wearable electronic skins (E-skins), which hold broad applications in advanced robotics, healthcare monitoring, artificial intelligence, human-machine interfaces, etc. Herein, the recent progress in flexible tactile sensors and E-skins based on graphene material is presented. A brief introduction of the main approaches to prepare graphene nanosheets is provided. The main developments on the functions and mechanisms of bionic functional devices in E-skins including tactile sensors, temperature sensors, and humidity sensors are then highlighted. The current and future applications for graphene-based E-skins, such as multifunctional biomimetic E-skins, healthcare monitoring, and interactive human-machine interface, are also described. Finally, the existing challenges and future development trends for graphene-based E-skins are discussed.