Development of Mechanoreceptors using Nanofibers for Artificial Skin

Project Title

Development of Mechanoreceptors using Nanofibers for Artificial Skin

Project Area of Specialization Wearables and ImplantableProject Summary

In recent years, the significance of nanofibers in designing ultra-sensitive sensors for human due to their good biocompatibility is being recognized globally. In this project, a novel approach will be introduced to design mechanoreceptors by fabricating biocompatible nanofibers from natural protein material Silk Cocoons to implant in artificial skin. Nanofibers would be generated using electrospinning technique and then in specific phase and dimension would be molded to develop artificial mechanoreceptor. Design of mechanoreceptors using nanofibers with bioinspired structural and functional features, which would enable such sensors to demonstrate perceptive characteristics alike to the human skin sensors. The designed sensor will be tested on artificial skin and an assessment of characteristics will be carried out. They would be able to detect the change in pressure with high sensitivity.

Project Objectives

The main objective of our project is the fabrication of bioinspired pressure sensor using biocompatible nanofibers developed from fibroin solution extracted from Bombyx mori silk cocoons.

Project Implementation Method

The complete project is divided into three main steps which are following:

• Development of Biocompatible Nanofibers.
• Integration of Nanofibers to develop artificial mechanoreceptors.
• Implementation and testing on the artificial skin.

Benefits of the Project

Patients suffering from Diabetes Neuropathology, Merkel-Cell Carcinoma, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Parkinson’s disease loss their tactile sensing. Also, the people who faced the acid attacks loss their skin and sensors for tactile sensation as well. Moreover, patients who wear prosthesis due to loss of their organs need to have tactile and pressure sensation as a normal human being. So, the developed artificial mechanoreceptor would be implanted in the prosthesis to restore the tactile and pressure sensation of the patient to carry out routine activities normally. Most importantly the designed artificial mechanoreceptor will be biocompatible, so it won’t cause any harmful effects. Also, this project would cause a wide-scale impact on wearable electronics as this could also be implanted in the robotic or e-skin.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The developed artificial mechanoreceptor would be designed to exhibit the following properties:

Physical Quantity	Value	Comments
Ultrahigh Sensitivity	?34.47kPa-1	For a wide range of pressure.
Pressure	<0.8Pa	Would detect ultralow pressure value.
Response Time	<30-50ms	Faster response time than the human fingertips.
Surface Area	N/A	Would be integrated over the large surface area.

Physical Quantity

Ultrahigh Sensitivity

Pressure

Response Time

Surface Area

Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry HealthOther IndustriesCore Technology Wearables and ImplantablesOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Good Health and Well-Being for PeopleRequired Resources

Elapsed time in (days or weeks or month or quarter) since start of the project	Milestone	Deliverable
Month 1	Collection and Study of Literature	Understanding of what and how the work was done in that area and what novelty could be introduced.
Month 2	Analysis of Proposed Scheme	Analysing and understanding the complete concepts involve in the project.
Month 3	Fabrication of Nanofibers	Enlist the items and equipments required.
Month 4	Fabrication of Nanofibers	Allocate resources for all the defined steps.
Month 5	Fabrication of Nanofibers	Order the items for import.
Month 6	Implementation of Schemes\Model	Develop Nanofibers.
Month 7	Analysis & Simulation	Mold nanofibers to develop artificial mechanoreceptors.
Month 8	Result Formulation	Testing of the developed sensor on artificial skin.
Month 9	Final Write-up and FYP Report Submission	Writing complete details of the project to publish for the Research Paper.