Special Interview with Prof. Ravinder Dahiya: From Electronic Skin to Tactile Intelligence - Where Iontronics Meets Neuromorphic Computing
On September 28, 2026, the Editorial Office of Iontronics had the pleasure of interviewing Prof. Ravinder Dahiya from Northeastern University, USA, an internationally recognized researcher in electronic skin, tactile sensing, flexible and printed electronics, and intelligent robotic systems.
The interview explored a central shift in electronic skin: from sensing arrays that mimic the shape of biological skin toward integrated systems that increasingly reproduce its functions. Prof. Dahiya discussed why future electronic skin will require more than additional sensing modalities, emphasizing the integration of adaptive mechanics, energy autonomy, memory, and computation to enable local and real-time information processing.
The conversation further addressed reversible morphing soft skins, neuromorphic and near-sensor computing, scalable fabrication, system integration, sustainable manufacturing, and low-power operation. Looking toward iontronics, Prof. Dahiya highlighted the potential of ionic signaling and ion–electron coupling to introduce history-dependent and multiscale dynamics relevant to biological adaptation and synaptic behavior.
He identified the hybrid integration of soft ionic materials with high-performance electronics as a particularly promising direction. Ion-based synaptic and memory devices, iontronic–electronic interfaces for wearable and implantable bioelectronics, and low-power ionic circuits capable of local decision-making could help move iontronics from a sensing platform toward an information-processing substrate, opening new opportunities at the interface of tactile sensing, neuromorphic computing, and bioinspired intelligence.
Interview Questions:
Q1. Electronic skin has evolved from flexible sensing arrays toward increasingly integrated systems that combine sensing, energy, computation, and interaction. From your perspective, what has been the most important conceptual shift in the development of electronic skin, and what will be most important for artificial skin to move closer to the capabilities of biological skin?
Q2. Your work on soft skins with reversible thickness morphing reflects a broader transition from passive, conformable sensing surfaces toward materials and systems that can actively change their physical state and function. How important do you think this transition toward adaptive and responsive soft skins will be, and what new possibilities could it open for future bioinspired sensing systems?
Q3. Your research has also explored neuron-like transistors, memristive devices for adaptive perception, distributed computing, and synaptic devices—approaches that bring sensing and information processing closer together. Do you see the integration of sensing, memory, and computation as a defining direction for the next generation of electronic skin? Could ionic signaling or ion–electron coupling offer additional opportunities in this development?
Q4. Your work has placed strong emphasis on scalable fabrication, printed electronics, large-area integration, and high-density device manufacturing. What do you see as the main barriers preventing advanced electronic and tactile skins from reaching large-scale applications in robotics, healthcare, and wearable systems? Are the key challenges still mainly in materials and manufacturing, or increasingly in system integration, reliability, power management, and data processing?
Q5. Iontronics focuses on systems in which ions act as charge and mass carriers and participate actively in sensing, signal transmission, information processing, energy conversion, and intelligent control. Looking ahead, where do you think iontronics could make its most distinctive contribution to intelligent sensing and tactile systems? What emerging directions at this interface do you believe deserve greater attention from the research community?
About Prof. Ravinder Dahiya:
Prof. Ravinder Dahiya, IEEE Fellow, FRSE, is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, Boston, USA, where he leads the Bendable Electronics and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Group. He currently serves as Director of IEEE Division X and a member of the IEEE Board of Directors, and previously served as President of the IEEE Sensors Council (2022–2023). He is also the founder of the IEEE International Conference on Flexible, Printable Sensors and Systems (FLEPS).
His research focuses on electronic skin, robotic tactile sensing, flexible and printed electronics, and intelligent sensing systems. His work has contributed to the development of large-area tactile platforms, energy-autonomous electronic skin, scalable printed electronics, and integrated sensing and information-processing systems for robotics, prosthetics, wearables, and human–machine interaction.
Prof. Dahiya has authored or co-authored more than 550 research publications, eight books, and several patents, and has delivered more than 250 keynote and invited lectures worldwide. His scholarly work has received more than 18,000 citations, with an h-index of 68 in Scopus. His honors include the IEEE Sensors Council Technical Achievement Award, the Microelectronic Engineering Young Investigator Award, and EPSRC, Marie Curie, and Japanese Monbusho Fellowships, along with numerous best-paper awards.
Editor: Xingcheng Li
Production Editor: Xingyue Luo
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of Iontronics
