Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

Intelligent Breathing Electronic Skin Inspired by Nepenthes for Active Sweat Management, Multimodal Sensing and High-Fidelity Electromyographic Teleoperation Using Machine Learning

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02252-2
Yichen Li
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China
Kai Zheng
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China
Guangtian Zhang
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China
Wentao Chen
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China
Chengtan Liu
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China
Seonho Shin
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China
Bihai Yang
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China
Ran Cai
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China
Bin Hu
School of Medical Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Bin Hu

bh@bit.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 401

Abstract

Electronic skin (e-skin), a stretchable, conformable, and multimodal sensing platform, is rapidly advancing in healthcare, robotics, and human–machine interaction (HMI). However, prolonged wear and sweat accumulation at the e-skin-skin interface can introduce signal artifacts, cause discomfort, and eventually lead to interfacial failure. Inspired by the unidirectional liquid transport of the Nepenthes peristome, we constructed an intelligent breathing e-skin (SPTL) featuring a Janus bilayer structure that creates a “liquid diode” effect for active sweat transport, achieving a remarkable cumulative one-way transport index of 956.36 while maintaining a dry interface even under profuse perspiration. This device exhibits a high tensile strain of 627%, a breathability of 20.02 mm s−1, and a pressure sensitivity of 7.39 kPa−1. Furthermore, the SPTL demonstrates versatile multimodal sensing capabilities, including real-time Morse code and non-contact capacitive sensing, while sustaining stable performance over 10,000 pressing cycles (capacitance decay < 3%). As a bio-integrated electrode, SPTL enables high-fidelity acquisition of electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, significantly outperforming commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes. Integrated with machine learning algorithms and EMG signals captured by the SPTL, it facilitates precise teleoperation of a quadruped robot and handwritten letter recognition with over 95% accuracy. This bionic strategy provides a versatile solution for intelligent, breathable, and multimodal bio-integrated interfaces.


Highlights:
1 A Nepenthes-inspired Janus e-skin (SPTL) was developed to achieve active unidirectional sweat transport while maintaining high breathability, waterproofness, and biocompatibility for prolonged skin dryness.
2 The SPTL offers 627% stretchability and multimodal sensing (including Morse code and non-contact capacitive sensing) and enables high-fidelity acquisition of electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electrocardiogram, and electrooculogram signals.
3 By integrating machine learning, SPTL-based sensing allows for precise electromyogram control of a quadruped robot and letter recognition with >95% accuracy.

Keywords

Electronic skin Nepenthes-inspired Electrospinning Unidirectional sweat transport EMG teleoperation
Li, Yichen, Kai Zheng, Guangtian Zhang, Wentao Chen, Chengtan Liu, Seonho Shin, Bihai Yang, Ran Cai, and Bin Hu. 2026. “Intelligent Breathing Electronic Skin Inspired by Nepenthes for Active Sweat Management, Multimodal Sensing and High-Fidelity Electromyographic Teleoperation Using Machine Learning”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (June):401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02252-2.
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