Song Won Jun, Lee Younghoon, Jung Yeonsu, Kang Yong-Woo, Kim Junhyung, Park Jae-Man, Park Yong-Lae, Kim Ho-Young, Sun Jeong-Yun
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea.
Sci Adv. 2021 Nov 26;7(48):eabg9203. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abg9203. Epub 2021 Nov 24.
Elasmobranch fishes, such as sharks, skates, and rays, use a network of electroreceptors distributed on their skin to locate adjacent prey. The receptors can detect the electric field generated by the biomechanical activity of the prey. By comparing the intensity of the electric fields sensed by each receptor in the network, the animals can perceive the relative positions of the prey without making physical contact. Inspired by this capacity for prey localization, we developed a soft artificial electroreceptor that can detect the relative positions of nearby objects in a noncontact manner by sensing the electric fields that originate from the objects. By wearing the artificial receptor, one can immediately receive spatial information of a nearby object via auditory signals. The soft artificial electroreceptor is expected to expand the ways we can perceive space by providing a sensory modality that did not evolve naturally in human beings.
软骨鱼类，如鲨鱼、鳐鱼和魟鱼，利用分布在其皮肤上的电感受器网络来定位附近的猎物。这些感受器能够检测到猎物生物力学活动产生的电场。通过比较网络中每个感受器所感知到的电场强度，这些动物能够在不进行物理接触的情况下感知猎物的相对位置。受这种猎物定位能力的启发，我们开发了一种柔软的人工电感受器，它可以通过感应源自物体的电场，以非接触方式检测附近物体的相对位置。通过佩戴人工感受器，人们可以通过听觉信号立即获得附近物体的空间信息。这种柔软的人工电感受器有望通过提供一种人类自然未进化出的感官模式，来扩展我们感知空间的方式。
