Sunday, February 5, 2023
OANDP-L
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The O&P EDGE
  • PECOS
  • Magazine
    • Subscription
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • News Archive
    • Product & Service Directory
    • Advertising Information
  • O&P Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • EDGE Advantage
  • O&P Facilities
  • Resources
    • Product & Service Directory
    • Calendar
    • Contact
    • About Us
    • O&P Library
    • The Guide
    • Custom Publications
    • Advertising Information
    • EDGE Direct
    • Amplitude Media Group
  • PECOS
  • Magazine
    • Subscription
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • News Archive
    • Product & Service Directory
    • Advertising Information
  • O&P Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • EDGE Advantage
  • O&P Facilities
  • Resources
    • Product & Service Directory
    • Calendar
    • Contact
    • About Us
    • O&P Library
    • The Guide
    • Custom Publications
    • Advertising Information
    • EDGE Direct
    • Amplitude Media Group
No Result
View All Result
The O&P EDGE Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Solar-powered Skin Could Provide Sense of Touch to Prostheses

by The O&P EDGE
March 23, 2017
in News
0
SHARES
6
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Dahiya poses with a prosthetic hand covered in the solar-powered electronic skin. Photograph courtesy of the University of Glasgow.

Engineers from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, who previously developed an electronic skin covering for prosthetic hands made from graphene, have found a way to use some of graphene’s physical properties to harness energy from the sun to power the synthetic skin. The work could help create advanced prosthetic limbs that return the sense of touch to users and has implications for robots and wearable systems.

Graphene is a highly flexible form of graphite, which despite being just a single atom thick, is stronger than steel, electrically conductive, and transparent. It is graphene’s optical transparency, which allows about 98 percent of the light that strikes its surface to pass directly through it, that makes it ideal for gathering energy from the sun to generate power. A research paper, published March 22 in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, describes how Ravinder Dahiya, PhD, a reader in electronic and nanoscale engineering, and colleagues from his Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) group have integrated power-generating photovoltaic cells into their electronic skin for the first time.

“My colleagues and I have already made significant steps in creating prosthetic prototypes which integrate synthetic skin and are capable of making very sensitive pressure measurements,” said Dahiya. “Those measurements mean the prosthetic hand is capable of performing challenging tasks like properly gripping soft materials, which other prosthetics can struggle with. We are also using innovative 3D-printing strategies to build more affordable sensitive prosthetic limbs….”

The new skin requires 20 nanowatts of power per square centimeter, which can be met even by the poorest-quality photovoltaic cells currently available. And although energy generated by the skin’s photovoltaic cells cannot currently be stored, the team is already looking into ways to divert unused energy into batteries, allowing the energy to be used when it is required.

Dahiya added, “The other next step for us is to further develop the power-generation technology which underpins this research and use it to power the motors which drive the prosthetic hand itself. This could allow the creation of an entirely energy-autonomous prosthetic limb.”


Editor’s note: This story was adapted from materials provided by the University of Glasgow.

Related posts:

  1. Solar-powered Skin Could Provide Sense of Touch to Prostheses
  2. PLX-PAD: Stem Cell Treatment May Save Limbs
  3. Energy-storage Technology Could Lead to Solar-powered Prostheses
  4. The Dawn of Powered Lower-Limb Prostheses, Part 2
Previous Post

Yale Student Venture Focused on Amputees Wins Award

Next Post

Grant Awarded to Test Gene Therapy for CMT

Next Post

Grant Awarded to Test Gene Therapy for CMT

  • VIEW CURRENT ISSUE
  • SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE

RECENT NEWS

News

Mobility Ideal Health Care Acquires Green P&O

by The O&P EDGE
January 27, 2023

Mobility Ideal Health Care, headquartered in New Jersey, purchased Green Prosthetics and Orthotics, headquartered in Pennsylvania. The acquisition closed November...

Read more

Hanger Recognizes 2022 Partner Award Recipients

Pedors Launches Directory of Allied Foot Healthcare Professionals

CMS Adds to Orthosis Face-to-Face and Written Order Prior to Delivery List

Get unlimited access!

Join EDGE ADVANTAGE and unlock The O&P EDGE's vast library of archived content.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY

O&P JOBS

Eastern

CPO/CO/BOCPO and Orthotic Fitter

Central

Certified Prosthetist/Orthotists

Central

Part-Time Prosthetic Practitioner in Oklahoma

 

© 2021 The O&P EDGE

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • EDGE Advantage
  • OANDP-L
  • Subscribe

CONTACT US

866-613-0257

[email protected]

201 E. 4th St
Loveland, CO 80537

The most important industry news and events delivered directly to your inbox every week.

No Result
View All Result
  • PECOS
  • MAGAZINE
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • CURRENT ISSUE
    • ISSUE ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ARCHIVE
    • PRODUCTS & SERVICES DIRECTORY
    • ADVERTISING INFORMATION
  • O&P JOBS
    • FIND A JOB
    • POST A JOB
  • EDGE ADVANTAGE
  • FACILITES
  • RESOURCES
    • PRODUCTS & SERVICES DIRECTORY
    • CALENDAR
    • CONTACT
    • ABOUT US
    • O&P LIBRARY
    • THE GUIDE
    • CUSTOM PUBLICATIONS
    • ADVERTISING
    • EDGE DIRECT
    • AMPLITUDE
  • OANDP-L
  • LOGIN

© 2021The O&P EDGE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
The O&P EDGE Magazine
 
Required 'Candidate' login to applying this job. Click here to logout And try again
 

Login to your account

  • Forgot Password? | Sign Up

Reset Password

  • Already have an account? Login

Enter the username or e-mail you used in your profile. A password reset link will be sent to you by email.

Signup to your Account

  • By clicking checkbox, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

    Already have an account? Login

Close
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
 

Account Activation

Before you can login, you must activate your account with the code sent to your email address. If you did not receive this email, please check your junk/spam folder. Click here to resend the activation email. If you entered an incorrect email address, you will need to re-register with the correct email address.