An Artificial Tactile Perception System with Spatio‐Temporal Recognition Capability

Tactile perception is one of the crucial ways humans interact with their surrounding environment. In recent years, many artificial tactile perception systems that mimic the biological structure have been reported, integrating various pressure sensors and neuromorphic devices. However, current works primarily focus on encoding single-point pressure information, neglecting the spatio-temporal information of pressure stimuli, which is important for distinguishing the spatial orientation and pressing sequences. In this study, an artificial tactile perception system capable of sensing, encoding, and learning spatio-temporal information of pressure stimuli is presented. The system integrates piezoelectric nanogenerators and a multiple-gate synaptic transistor, serving as the pressure sensing units and information processing unit, respectively. Exploiting the modulation capability of the gate electrode positioned variably relative to the channel on the proton migration, the spatial position and time sequence of the applied pressure can be distinguished through the change of channel conductance. The substantial potential of this system for applications is manifested in pattern lock systems, paving the way for its potential use in innovative tactile information encoding systems, intelligent unlocking systems, and other smart devices. An artificial tactile perception system capable of sensing, encoding, and learning spatio-temporal information of pressure stimuli. It combines piezoelectric nanogenerators and a multiple-gate synaptic transistor for sensing and processing. Exploiting the modulation capability of the gate electrode positioned variably relative to the channel on the proton migration, the spatial position and time sequence of the applied pressure can be distinguished. image