Original story

SatWeb 30.11.2014

Super artificial skin senses weak electrical fields - new breakthrough in gene manipulation

The arrival on the market of super artificial skin has generated a host of new professions.

The most significant of the new professions is that of the electronics and electrical detector. The electrodermis organogenetic skin developed for this purpose can sense even weak electrical currents, resistances, or charges. An experienced electrodetector can match the performance of a conventional universal test meter, with the only condition being that the maximum voltage cannot exceed 32V. Skilled detectors are capable of sensing down to 100mV.

The great advantage of the electrodetectors over metering devices is speed. Using a test meter often involves finding a suitable place to put the cables, whereas the detector simply places two fingers in the right spot. Furthermore, the detector is always “on” - in other words the detection process is a constant one, and requires no external power source.

Several manufacturers of electronic devices have already hired and trained hundreds of electrodetectors. Electrical and electronic repair shops have also availed themselves of the services of these new skilled workmen.

The pressure and heat sensitivities developed for other artificial skin applications have also led to new professional skills entering the job market. People fitted with pressure sensitive skin have been used for example at airports to measure local air pressure variations, and are employed to cover the entire runway and airport approach areas looking for emerging microturbulence fronts or microburst-generated wind shear. Skin developed for heat sensitive applications is already in use in the detection of mould and mildew damage to buildings.

The first artificial skin grown in cell culture was released in 1997 by the Swiss-based Novartis Pharma AG. The Apligraf bilayered graftskin construct then introduced - initially for the treatment of venous leg ulcers - has since been further developed and modified and has been in use for over fifteen years in the care of serious wounds and burns. The company began work on a range of sophisticated second-generation organogenetic skin formats some six years ago when it was observed that the properties of Apligraf constructs could be altered with genes taken from animals and spliced with living human keratinocytes and fibroblasts.

Hannula I. & Linturi R. 1998: 100 Phenomena. Yritysmikrot Oy, Helsinki 1998. Copyright notices ISBN 952-9508-18-2

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Toteuma lyhyesti

  • Ilmiön toteuma: 3/5
  • Toteuma viiden vuoden tarkkuudella: kyllä; arviointi-ikkuna on 2009–2019
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Elektroniset ihot mittaavat painetta, lämpöä, kemiallisia ja sähköisiä signaaleja ja voivat ylittää ihmisen luonnollisen herkkyyden. Ne ovat pääosin sensoreita roboteille, proteeseille ja iholle kiinnitettäviksi, eivät kasvatettua superihoa ihmiselle.

Johtopäätös: ennuste toteutui tutkimuksessa oikeassa aikaikkunassa, mutta ei uutena ihmisammattina tai massatuotteena.