A Spatially Selective Electroactive-Actuating Adhesive Electronics for Multi-Object Manipulation and Adaptive Haptic Interaction

Abstract

Some organisms often use adhesive setae to manipulate objects orcommunicate critical signals for survival through subtle surface-transmittedvibrations, along with locomotion and long-term adherence. Inspired by thisphenomenon, the spatially selective vibration-transmitting electronics of amulti-pixelated electroactive-actuating adhesive patch coupled with smalladhesive architectures are presented. Here, diving beetle-like small densehairs possessing concave cavities are introduced to obtain high adaptabilityon various non-flat surfaces in dry or wet conditions. Based on the versatilevibration-transmitting platform, the ensuing lightweight, spatially-selective,switchable-adhesive device is demonstrated to effectively manipulate multipleobjects simultaneously, thus overcoming the limitations of existingmonotonous transportation devices. In addition, the electronics can beapplied to the stretchable skin-conforming haptic interface with highbreathability and repeatable attachment capability, capable of recognizingcomplex outward textures of virtual objects. This skin-adaptive hapticelectronics can amplify the tiny vibrotactile feedback from the diverse surfacetextures of virtual creatures due to its possession of bioinspired architecturesat the human–machine interface. Here, the stably encapsulated device isintegrated with machine learning-based comprehension for reproducibleexpression. Therefore, this technology offers promise in virtual reality andaugmented reality applications.