Abstract: A haptic apparatus is provided for stimulating a skin of a user to provide haptic feedback to the user. The haptic apparatus comprises an elastomeric substrate layer and multilayered electrical circuits comprising hydrogel electrodes for contacting the skin and electro-stimulating the skin to generate the haptic feedback. The multilayered electrical circuits are arranged on the elastomeric substrate layer, thereby avoiding forming the multilayered electrical circuits on a printed circuit board.

Abstract: The present invention provides a thermo-controlled smell generating device with an active cooling mechanism to allow a user thereof to control on/off of the device in a relatively short response time absent any temperature fluctuations even after a significant number of heating and cooling cycles. The present invention is ideal for generating olfaction in highly interactive or fast-changing environments such as virtual immersive environments.

Abstract: A biomimetic thermal regulating fabric (BTRF) imitating army ant bivouacs and a method for constructing the same are provided. The BTRF comprises a plurality of yarns formed of textile fibres having a water-actuated crimp behaviour, wherein the plurality of yarns is knitted by means of transfer stitch to form an unsymmetrical fabric structure which has a positive water-actuated expansion rate along a first axis and a negative water-actuated expansion rate along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. Surfaces of the textile fibres are plasma-treated to have one or more hydrophilic functional groups. One or more colorimetric fabric sensors are incorporated to generate colours in response to one or more ambient environmental conditions or user physiological conditions respectively. The present invention has excellent scalability, biocompatibility, and great dynamic durability, and is advantageous for applications in athletic wear, outdoor wear, and medical textiles.

Abstract: The present invention provides an epidermal multimodal human-drone interfacing system which enable drone operation in dynamic and intricate environments. The interfacing system comprises: a base station configured to: receive hand orientation data of a user and obstacle data within a caution distance from a drone; and generate, on basis of a correlation of the hand orientation data and the obstacle data, respective control commands for providing tactile feedback to a user's fingers, stimulating multiple muscle groups of the user's arm and controlling the drone; a drone control tactile feedback (DCTF) module configured to: collect the hand orientation data of the user and deliver the tactile feedback to the user's fingers; and a neuromuscular electrical stimulation force feedback (NMESF) module configured to: collect obstacle data within the caution distance from the drone and deliver stimulation current to the multiple muscle groups of the user's arm.

Abstract: A fish-like shape robotic device includes a fish-like shape carrier portion, a vibrable tail portion, a wireless power receiving module, a driving module, and at least one functional sensor. The fish-like shape carrier portion includes a head portion and a pair of side portions. The wireless power receiving module is configured to receive a wireless power and disposed on the vibrable tail portion and the side portions. The driving module is disposed on the vibrable tail portion, in which the wireless power receiving module transmits the wireless power to the driving module, such that the driving module enables the vibrable tail portion vibrate. The at least one functional sensor is disposed at the head portion and configured to sense a characteristic of an aquatic environment, or detect a living body or a bio-like structure in the aquatic environment, so as to obtain at least one sensing electrical signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a transparent and flexible electronic skin with three-dimensional sensing capability. The electronic skin comprises: a substrate; an transparent and flexible electric field sensor disposed on the substrate; a control circuit disposed on the substrate; and a transparent and flexible protective layer encapsulating the electric field sensor and the control circuit. The electric field sensor includes a transmitter electrode; one or more receiver electrodes; and dielectric layer arranged between the transmitter electrode and receiver electrodes. The control circuit is connected to the electric field sensor and configured to: drive the transmitter electrode to transmit a reference signal to establish a quasi-static electrical near field; and process one or more measurement signals received by the one or more receiver electrodes respectively, each measurement signal is indicative of a distortion of the quasi-static electrical near field due to proximity of an object.

Abstract: The present invention provides a self-powered passive electro-tactile haptic glove comprising: a plurality of textile-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) configured to harvest electrostatic energy through physical contact; a plurality of power management circuits electrically connected to the plurality of TENGs respectively and configured to covert the electrostatic energy harvested by the plurality of TENGs into electro-stimulation signals; and a plurality of skin stimulation electrode pairs electrically connected to the plurality of gas discharging tube-based power management circuits respectively and configured to transfer the electro-stimulation signals from the plurality of power management circuits to a user's skin. The provided glove is light-weight, self-sustainable and cost-effective, therefore has potential in fields of AR/VR, recovery treatment, and mutual perception systems between robots and humans.

Abstract: The present invention provides a skin-adhesive air-permeable intelligent bandage comprising: a stretchable adhesive antibacterial bioelectrical interface film made of stretchable adhesive antibacterial fibres; a waterproof moisture-permeable protective film for protecting the wound from external contaminants; and a permeable stretchable circuit assembly arranged between the bioelectrical interface film and the protective film. The permeable stretchable circuit assembly comprises: a permeable stretchable circuit board; one or more biosensors constructed on the permeable stretchable circuit board; and electronic components assembled on the permeable stretchable circuit board. The electronic components include: a physiological signal processing module electrically coupled to the one or more biosensors for in-situ wound monitoring; and a drug delivery actuation module electrically coupled to the bioelectrical interface film for adaptive drug delivery for wound treatment.

Abstract: The present invention provides an implantable electrostimulation-based drug delivery system incorporating microneedle-based drug delivery module connecting with a wirelessly-controlled electrostimulation module such that under a small input power generated by magnetic coupling between a transmission antenna and a harvester of the wirelessly-controlled electrostimulation module, one or more substances stored in the microneedles can be released to tissues of a target site while no subsequent removal of the system from the target site is required as the system is entirely biodegradable and bioresorbable in vivo after a sufficient period of time.

Abstract: A human-machine interaction device including a flexible substrate for mounting to a user, a sensing module arranged to sense deformation of the flexible substrate when the flexible substrate is mounted to the user and in response generate a sensed signal, a controller operably connected with the sensing module and arranged to process the sensed signal to obtain a processed signal, and a communication module arranged to communicate the sensed signal or the processed signal to an external electrical device for controlling operation of the external electrical device.

Abstract: The present invention provides an integrated sweat sensing system including a multi-layered structure incorporating a flexible circuitry sensing layer with multiple electronic and mechanical components responsible for sensing certain physiological changes of a user and giving feedback signals to the user when a detectable biological, chemical or physiological signal exceeds certain threshold. The system further includes a microfluidic based biosensing platform responsible for sensing changes in sweat component composition including ions, glucose and pH changes, and subsequently trigger feedback signal outputs from the flexible circuitry sensing layer to provide the user with a corresponding change-of-state signal. The present system is bendable and detachably mountable on various skin regions of the user.

Abstract: A garment to be worn directly on the upper body of a person is formed from fabric and includes a flexible printed circuit board and a number of mounting points for electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes to which ECG electrodes can be releasably attached. For each mounting point, a wire is embedded in the fabric. Each of the wires can electrically connect an ECG electrode attached to the respective mounting point to the flexible printed circuit board. The flexible printed circuit board includes processing circuitry configured for evaluating signals received via the wires from ECG electrodes attached to the mounting points to obtain results and further configured for transmitting the results to an external receiver. A system can include a garment and an external receiver in the form of a mobile device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a stretchable and flexible multi-leads ECG monitoring apparatus having a primary circuitry encased in a thin and flexible polymer patch configured to be worn on a human body. At least four flexible leads are connected to the primary circuitry at a first end and are configured to be connected to ECG electrode patches at a second end. The ECG electrode patches being configured to be attached to a plurality positions on a human body. The wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the ECG monitoring signals to a receiving device for recording or displaying the ECG monitoring signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a three-dimensional liquid diode comprising: a vertical liquid diode layer, a horizontal liquid diode layer disposed above the vertical liquid diode layer, and a liquid collector disposed between the horizontal liquid diode layer and the vertical liquid diode layer. The vertical liquid diode layer comprises: a top surface; a bottom surface; and a plurality of channels, each extending from the top surface to the bottom surface with a vertical hydrophilicity gradient. The horizontal liquid diode layer comprises: an upper surface; a lower surface; a plurality of microstructures distributed on the lower surface with a horizontal structural gradient and configured to couple with the plurality of channels of the vertical liquid diode layer; and a plurality of outlets evenly distributed around the plurality of microstructures, and extending from the upper surface to the lower surface. The liquid collector is coupled to the plurality of outlets.

Abstract: The present invention provides a transparent and flexible electronic skin with three-dimensional sensing capability. The electronic skin comprises: a substrate; an transparent and flexible electric field sensor disposed on the substrate; a control circuit disposed on the substrate; and a transparent and flexible protective layer encapsulating the electric field sensor and the control circuit. The electric field sensor includes a transmitter electrode; one or more receiver electrodes; and dielectric layer arranged between the transmitter electrode and receiver electrodes. The control circuit is connected to the electric field sensor and configured to: drive the transmitter electrode to transmit a reference signal to establish a quasi-static electrical near field; and process one or more measurement signals received by the one or more receiver electrodes respectively, each measurement signal is indicative of a distortion of the quasi-static electrical near field due to proximity of an object.

Abstract: A wearable haptic modulation device for real-time simulation of texture properties of a material surface in mixed reality environments is provided. Particularly, it includes a U-shaped pneumatic actuator surrounds a user's fingertip, a finger-housing support creating a space for fingertip containment, a resonant actuator on the finger-housing support generating vibrotactile feedback to enhance perceived roughness on touched physical surfaces, and a pneumatic control system generating pneumatic actuation to reduce the perceived roughness on touched physical surface. Notably, the U-shaped pneumatic actuator allows direct contact of the user's fingerpad with the touched physical surface.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a stretchable and flexible sweat-activated graphene-coated Ni foam-based Mg—O2 battery capable of powering an intelligent and flexible electronics for health monitoring purposes with different biosensors.

Abstract: A sweat extraction and monitoring system comprises a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for inducing localized sweating for a human skin to generate sweat, iontophoresis electrodes electrically connected to the TENG and configured to be operably electrically contacting the human skin, at least one microfluidic channel for receiving the sweat, at least one biosensor for sensing the sweat received in the at least one microfluidic channel, and at least one sweat-activated battery configured to be actuatable by the sweat for powering the at least one biosensor.

Abstract: A biomimetic thermal regulating fabric (BTRF) imitating army and bivouacs and a method for constructing the same are provided. The BTRF comprises a plurality of yarns formed of textile fibres having a water-actuated crimp behaviour, wherein the plurality of yarns is knitted by means of transfer stitch to form an unsymmetrical fabric structure which has a positive water-actuated expansion rate along a first axis and a negative water-actuated expansion rate along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. Surfaces of the textile fibres are plasma-treated to have one or more hydrophilic functional groups. One or more colorimetric fabric sensors are incorporated to generate colours in response to one or more ambient environmental conditions or user physiological conditions respectively. The present invention has excellent scalability, biocompatibility, and great dynamic durability, and is advantageous for applications in athletic wear, outdoor wear, and medical textiles.

Abstract: A wearable electronic device for providing or affecting smell. The wearable electronic device includes one or more odor manipulation units and a control circuit arrangement operably coupled with the one or more odor manipulation units for operating the one or more odor manipulation units. Each of the one or more odor manipulation units is respectively operable to provide or affect smell perceivable by a user of the wearable electronic device.