電子皮膚幫你實現“第六感”

Ever wanted superpowers?
想擁有超能力嗎？

Researchers have unveiled a new type of sensor that could give humans the ability to detect magnetic fields.
研究人員日前發布了一款新型傳感器，可讓人類擁有探測磁場的能力。

It works in the same way as bacteria, insects and even vertebrates like birds and sharks detect magnetic fields for orientation and navigation.
這種傳感器的工作原理和許多生物一樣。細菌、昆蟲，甚至是鳥類和鯊魚等脊椎動物都能通過探測磁場來進行定位和導航。

Humans are, however, unable to perceive magnetic fields naturally.
然而，人類并非生來就能感知磁場的存在。

Dr. Denys Makarov and his team have developed an electronic skin with a magneto-sensory system that equips the recipient with a "sixth sense" able to perceive the presence of static or dynamic magnetic fields.
丹尼斯·馬克洛夫博士（Denys Makarov）及其團隊研發了一種帶有磁感應系統的電子皮膚，穿戴這款皮膚的人將擁有“第六感”，能感知靜態或動態磁場的存在。

"These ultrathin magnetic sensors with extraordinary mechanical robustness are ideally suited to be wearable, yet unobtrusive and imperceptible for orientation and manipulation aids." adds Prof. Oliver G. Schmidt, who is the director of the Institute for Integrative Nanosciences at the IFW Dresden.
“這種具有極強機械堅固性的超薄磁傳感器用于人們的日常穿戴再合適不過了，而且它在不知不覺中就會幫助使用者進行微定位和操作。”德國萊布尼茲固體材料研究所（IFW Dresden）綜合納米科學研究院（Institute for Integrative Nanosciences）主任奧利弗·G·施密特教授（Oliver G. Schmidt）補充道。

It is hoped they could be used for navigation, and in robotics.
這款電子皮膚有望用于導航和機器人技術中。

"It could lead to wearable as imperceptible magneto-sensitive skin that enables proximity detection, navigation and touchless control," the researchers wrote.
“在此基礎上有望研制出可穿戴的隱形磁感應皮膚，讓近距離探測、導航和非接觸式操作成為可能。”研究人員寫道。

The magneto-electronics are less than two micrometers thick and weights only three gram per square meter; they can even float on a soap bubble.
磁感應電子皮膚厚不足兩微米，每平方米僅重3克，甚至可以漂浮在肥皂泡上。

The new magnetic sensors withstand extreme bending with radii of less than three micrometer, and survive crumpling like a piece of paper without sacrificing the sensor performance.
這種新型磁感應器可承受半徑小于3微米的強力彎折，被揉成紙團狀后依舊不會受損，而且傳感性能不受任何影響。

On elastic supports like a rubber band, they can be stretched to more than 270 percent and for over 1,000 cycles without fatigue.
在橡皮筋等彈性物體支撐下，這種磁感應器可以延展2.7倍以上，即使經過1000多次循環拉伸，也不會出現金屬疲勞。

These versatile features are imparted to the magnetoelectronic elements by their ultra-thin and –flexible, yet robust polymeric support.
而上述多種功能之所以能夠實現，是因為其磁性電子元件具有超薄、超靈活的特性，并且采用了極為堅固的聚合物材料。

'We have demonstrated an on-skin touch-less human-machine interaction platform, motion and displacement sensorics applicable for soft robots or functional medical implants as well as magnetic functionalities for electronics on the skin', says Michael Melzer.
“我們已經建立了一個非接觸式人機交互平臺，用于軟體機器人或功能性醫學移植物的運動和位移傳感器，都可以用于這種磁性功能的電子皮膚。”邁克爾·梅爾澤（Michael Melzer）表示。

"Future electronic skin aims to mimic nature’s original both in functionality and appearance," the researchers wrote in Nature communications.
研究人員在《自然通訊》雜志 （Nature Communications）如是寫道：“未來的電子皮膚旨在從功能和外觀上模仿大自然的原有屬性。”

"Electronics opens a unique path that leads beyond imitation and could equip us with unfamiliar senses.
“電子開辟了一條獨特的道路，不僅讓我們超越了單純的模仿，還能讓我們體驗了全新的感官。

"These ultrathin magnetic field sensors readily conform to ubiquitous objects including human skin and offer a new sense for soft robotics, safety and healthcare monitoring, consumer electronics and electronic skin devices.
“這些超薄磁感應器能適應包括人體皮膚在內的各種普遍存在的物體，也為軟體機器人技術、安全與醫療監控、消費型電子產品和電子皮膚設備帶來了新的觀念。”

Vocabulary

vertebrate：脊椎動物
ultrathin：超薄的
robustness：強健
unobtrusive：不引人注目的
imperceptible：感覺不到的
radii：半徑
versatile：多功能的
ubiquitous：普遍存在的

（ 譯者： 藍翠娟SCNU 編輯： 侯瑋萍）