Communications of the ACM
Flexible Sensors Turn Skin Into a Touch-Sensitive Interaction Space For Mobile Devices
The iSkin project has developed flexible stickers that adhere to the skin and can be used to control mobile devices.
Credit: Oliver Dietze
Researchers at Saarland and Carnegie Mellon universities working on the iSkin project are studying the potential use of the human body as a touch-sensitive surface for controlling mobile devices.
The researchers developed flexible stickers made of silicone rubber with pressure-sensitive sensors that adhere to the skin. The researchers note the touch-input stickers can be manufactured in a variety of shapes, sizes, and personalized designs. Depending on the type of skin sticker used, applying pressure to the sticker could, for example, answer an incoming call or adjust the volume of a music player.
Users can design their iSkin patches on a computer beforehand to suit their individual tastes. "A simple graphics program is all you need," says Saarland Ph.D. student Martin Weigel. He notes the silicon-based sensors are flexible and stretchable, which he says makes them easier to use in an everyday environment.
The iSkin stickers currently are connected via cable to a computer system, but Saarland's Jurgen Steimle says in the future embedded microchips may enable the sensor patches to communicate wirelessly with other mobile devices.
The researchers will present the iSkin project at the ACM SIGCHI conference in Seoul, Korea in April. A paper on their research won the conference's "Best Paper Award."
From Saarland University
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