Edge-intelligent bimodal iontronic skin for human−robot collaboration

Human–machine interaction requires sensing systems that can detect physical stimuli and translate them into actionable signals for real-time control and decision-making [1,2]. Recent advances in soft bioelectronics have enabled flexible, skin-like platforms with multimodal sensing capabilities [3,4]. However, as these systems scale in spatial coverage and channel density, challenges such as signal crosstalk, slow readout and difficulty in real-time interpretation persist [5,6]. In particular, distinguishing human touch from object contact and enabling low-latency, on-device inference remain key barriers to practical human–robot collaboration. In a recent study, Prof. Chuanfei Guo and colleagues addressed these challenges with a bimodal iontronic skin integrated with edge intelligence, enabling real-time perception and intention-aware human–robot interaction [7]. At the device level, the …