A Neuromorphic Electronic Skin for Lifelike Humanoid Robots

The rapid aging of the global population has intensified the need for humanoid robots capable of assisting in healthcare, elderly care, and daily living. To achieve safe and empathetic human-robot interaction, robots must be equipped with sensory systems that replicate the versatile tactile perception and self-protection of human skin. However, existing electronic skins (E-skins) remain limited by complex wiring, high energy consumption, and the absence of advanced biological functions such as pain and injury perception, restricting their practicality and long-term operation.To address these challenges, we propose a concept of a neuromorphic robotic electronic skin (NRE-skin) that integrates efficient tactile encoding, active pain sensing, and adaptive injury recovery. Inspired by biological neural networks, the NRE-skin employs a pulse-based encoding mechanism to transduce tactile and thermal stimuli into neural-like pulse trains with tunable frequency, width, shape, and amplitude, enabling energy-efficient, event-driven sensing. Building upon this architecture, a pain-evaluation and reflex-arc pathway will be established to trigger rapid protective responses under noxious stimuli, while an active injury-sensing and modular replacement mechanism will allow real-time fault detection and quick physical repair. Through the combination of biomimetic neuromorphic design, low-power sensory encoding, and modular adaptability, the proposed NRE-skin will endow humanoid robots with human-like perception, self-protection, and resilience, marking a significant step toward intelligent, safe, and interactive robotic systems for future caregiving applications