电子皮肤帮你实现“第六感”

Ever wanted superpowers?
想拥有超能力吗？

Researchers have unveiled a new type of sensor that could give humans the ability to detect magnetic fields.
研究人员日前发布了一款新型传感器，可让人类拥有探测磁场的能力。

It works in the same way as bacteria, insects and even vertebrates like birds and sharks detect magnetic fields for orientation and navigation.
这种传感器的工作原理和许多生物一样。细菌、昆虫，甚至是鸟类和鲨鱼等脊椎动物都能通过探测磁场来进行定位和导航。

Humans are, however, unable to perceive magnetic fields naturally.
然而，人类并非生来就能感知磁场的存在。

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·马克洛夫博士（Denys Makarov）及其团队研发了一种带有磁感应系统的电子皮肤，穿戴这款皮肤的人将拥有“第六感”，能感知静态或动态磁场的存在。

"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.
“这种具有极强机械坚固性的超薄磁传感器用于人们的日常穿戴再合适不过了，而且它在不知不觉中就会帮助使用者进行微定位和操作。”德国莱布尼兹固体材料研究所（IFW Dresden）综合纳米科学研究院（Institute for Integrative Nanosciences）主任奥利弗·G·施密特教授（Oliver G. Schmidt）补充道。

It is hoped they could be used for navigation, and in robotics.
这款电子皮肤有望用于导航和机器人技术中。

"It could lead to wearable as imperceptible magneto-sensitive skin that enables proximity detection, navigation and touchless control," the researchers wrote.
“在此基础上有望研制出可穿戴的隐形磁感应皮肤，让近距离探测、导航和非接触式操作成为可能。”研究人员写道。

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.
磁感应电子皮肤厚不足两微米，每平方米仅重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.
这种新型磁感应器可承受半径小于3微米的强力弯折，被揉成纸团状后依旧不会受损，而且传感性能不受任何影响。

On elastic supports like a rubber band, they can be stretched to more than 270 percent and for over 1,000 cycles without fatigue.
在橡皮筋等弹性物体支撑下，这种磁感应器可以延展2.7倍以上，即使经过1000多次循环拉伸，也不会出现金属疲劳。

These versatile features are imparted to the magnetoelectronic elements by their ultra-thin and –flexible, yet robust polymeric support.
而上述多种功能之所以能够实现，是因为其磁性电子元件具有超薄、超灵活的特性，并且采用了极为坚固的聚合物材料。

'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.
“我们已经建立了一个非接触式人机交互平台，用于软体机器人或功能性医学移植物的运动和位移传感器，都可以用于这种磁性功能的电子皮肤。”迈克尔·梅尔泽（Michael Melzer）表示。

"Future electronic skin aims to mimic nature’s original both in functionality and appearance," the researchers wrote in Nature communications.
研究人员在《自然通讯》杂志 （Nature Communications）如是写道：“未来的电子皮肤旨在从功能和外观上模仿大自然的原有属性。”

"Electronics opens a unique path that leads beyond imitation and could equip us with unfamiliar senses.
“电子开辟了一条独特的道路，不仅让我们超越了单纯的模仿，还能让我们体验了全新的感官。

"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.
“这些超薄磁感应器能适应包括人体皮肤在内的各种普遍存在的物体，也为软体机器人技术、安全与医疗监控、消费型电子产品和电子皮肤设备带来了新的观念。”

Vocabulary

vertebrate：脊椎动物
ultrathin：超薄的
robustness：强健
unobtrusive：不引人注目的
imperceptible：感觉不到的
radii：半径
versatile：多功能的
ubiquitous：普遍存在的

（ 译者： 蓝翠娟SCNU 编辑： 侯玮萍）