A skin-conformal rigid-in-soft array-based imaging system.

Abstract

Array-based imaging systems offer unparalleled capabilities for mapping complex environments, but their inherent structural rigidity prevents intimate integration with dynamic, non-rigid hosts such as human skin and soft robots. While flexible visual sensor arrays offer compliance, fabrication constraints severely limit their pixel density and overall resolution. Here, we present SkinSight, a skin-conformal imaging system that overcomes this trade-off through a hybrid "rigid-in-soft" architecture. By integrating miniaturized imagers with stretchable interconnects, SkinSight achieves stable, high-resolution imaging under complex mechanical deformations. Furthermore, to resolve processing challenges induced by continuous deformation, we leverage large-scale pre-trained vision transformers for end-to-end geometric inference. This deformation-adaptive framework no longer relies on rigid structural priors, enabling robust, calibration-free 3D visual perception. We demonstrate seamless integration with human skin, transforming a human palm into a sensory interface capable of perceiving objects beyond the direct line of sight. By augmenting the perceptual capabilities of humans and robots, SkinSight demonstrates broad potential for next-generation wearables and embodied artificial intelligence.