Scientists and engineers are definitely making use of the progress of the world's technology and putting them to good use. Just recently, an artificial skin has been developed and created that is capable of detecting the abrupt and sudden change of temperature.
Artificial Skin Developed That Can Detect Change In Tempreature
There is currently a team of engineers and scientists at Caltech and ETH Zurich that was able to develop an artificial skin that has the ability to detect the changes in temperature using a mechanism closely similar to allow pit vipers in sensing their prey for organs. The material can even be grafted into some prosthetic limbs in order to restore its abilities to regain senses in amputees. This is certainly very helpful to those with amputated limbs who are having a psychological trauma to the amputation, making it difficult for the individual to live normally again.
Another possible use for it is its application is on bandages since an increase in temperature is a sign of an infection in the wound. This could make it easier to detect and prevent the infection from happening and could help in being able to address it right away. Upon constructing the artificial skin, a material was created that exhibited an electrical response to temperature changes in the laboratory where the experiment was being held. This study was led by Chiara Daraio, a scientist from Caltech. It was then discovered that the component or substance held reliable for the temperature sensitivity was pectin. It is a molecule formed in a long chain that is present in plant cell walls.
"Pectin": Molecule Responsible For Temperature Sensitivity
Pectin is normally used in the food industry, a jellifying agent that is used to create jams. Thus, this substance is easy to obtain and not hard for any scientist to create such development and apply the said research. Upon mixing pectin with water, the pectin molecules obtained double-strand structure with a weak bond. Upon increase in temperature, these bonds then tend to break releasing calcium irons. This is then how the artificial skin to detect change in temperature started.
