Macroscopic topology-based triboelectric bionic body hair for tactile perception

With the advent of the artificial intelligence (AI) era, wearable devices play an increasingly vital role in intelligent sensing. This study introduces a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) featuring a macro-topological bionic hair structure that mimics human hair's sensory properties for enhancing sensitivity to external stimuli. The flexible TENG device is composed of a tribolayer of silicone rubber and a conductive polyurethane (TPU) electrode. To address the weak adhesion force between silicone rubber and other materials, we developed a macro-topological structure that significantly enhances the bonding strength between the tribolayer and electrode through mechanical interlocking of silicone rubber and conductive TPU. The unique macro-topological design enhances mechanical performance, achieving 5.6 times higher adhesion strength than double-layer structures. The macro-topology coupled with the bionic hair structure, enables stable detection of diverse stimuli with superior pressure sensitivity (32 V kPa⁻¹). It accurately detects varying touch intensities, small object and sharp object interactions in hazardous scenarios. Furthermore, integrated with machine learning, the device achieves 97 % accuracy in recognizing handwritten English letters. This highly sensitive and durable macro-topologically designed bionic body hair sensor offers potential for applications in tactile recognition and sensory enhancement.