Elastic MCF rubber with photovoltaics and sensing for use as artificial or hybrid skin (H-Skin): 1st report on dry-type solar cell rubber with piezoelectricity for compressive sensing

Ordinary solar cells are very difficult to bend, squash by compression, or extend by tensile strength. However, if they were to possess elastic, flexible, and extensible properties, in addition to piezo-electricity and resistivity, they could be put to effective use as artificial skin installed over human-like robots or humanoids. Further, it could serve as a husk that generates electric power from solar energy and perceives any force or temperature changes. Therefore, we propose a new type of artificial skin, called hybrid skin (H-Skin), for a humanoid robot having hybrid functions. In this study, a novel elastic solar cell is developed from natural rubber that is electrolytically polymerized with a configuration of magnetic clusters of metal particles incorporated into the rubber, by applying a magnetic field. The material thus produced is named magnetic compound fluid rubber (MCF rubber) that is elastic, flexible, and extensible. The present report deals with a dry-type MCF rubber solar cell that uses photosensitized dye molecules. First, the photovoltaic mechanism in the material is investigated. Next, the changes in the photovoltaic properties of its molecules due to irradiation by visible light are measured under compression. The effect of the compression on its piezoelectric properties is investigated.