Stretchable bionic motion sensory neuron established with stretchable resistive sensors

Due to the well-known von Neumann bottleneck, there is an urgent need for a sensing-computing-integrated architecture with low power consumption and low latency to handle data in real time. Inspired by brain information processing, a stretchable bionic motion sensory neuron is proposed by integrating solution-processed chitosan-gated oxide neuromorphic transistors and a stretchable resistive sensor (SRS). The SRS is fabricated using Ecoflex silicone as a substrate, doped with carbon black and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. It demonstrates high sensitivity with a gauge factor of up to 32, offering a wide detection range with mechanical tensile strain of up to 200%. Notably, it has a response time of only 173 ms and outstanding durability over 3000 stretch-release cycles. The bionic motion sensory neuron can accurately sense external strain and exhibit typical synaptic responses with strain applied to the SRS. Since strain can carry information, it demonstrates signal encryption and decoding capabilities. Moreover, it can monitor joint bending activities in real time. Thus, the sensory neuron holds potential for wearable electronics, neural prosthetics, and intelligent human-machine interfaces.