Artificial Sense Technology: Emulating and Extending Biological Senses

TLDR

Biological senses are essential for survival, yet despite extensive study of their physiological mechanisms and the development of diverse sensing techniques, gaps persist between natural senses and conventional sensors. This Perspective proposes artificial sense technology, a concept that mimics biological senses while offering objective sensing and intelligent feedback. The authors review recent advances in nanotechnology for emulating biological senses and outline how artificial sense technology extends the capabilities of its biological counterparts. Artificial sense technology is envisioned as a powerful perceptual interface that will enhance sensation substitution, digital healthcare, animal interactions, plant electronics, smart robots, and other domains linking physical and virtual worlds.

Abstract

Biological senses are critical for the survival of organisms. A great deal of attention has focused on elucidating the underlying physiological mechanisms of the senses, inspiring various sensing techniques. Despite progress in this area, gaps remain between the biological senses and conventional sensing techniques. In this Perspective, we propose the concept of artificial sense technology, which mimics the biological senses but differs in terms of objective sensing and intelligent feedback capabilities. We first summarize recent progress in the use of nanotechnologies to emulate the biological senses and then outline the advantages of artificial sense technology, which extend the capabilities of its biological counterparts. We envision artificial sense technology as a powerful perceptual interface that will play key roles in sensation substitution, digital healthcare, animal interactions, plant electronics, smart robots, and other areas that enrich the connections of the physical and virtual worlds.