A team of researchers from the University of Glasgow in the UK is now creating a solar powered prosthetic hand that produces its own energy from the sun to make it work. The graphene's optical transparency allows 98 percent of sun power to generate energy to operate longer than those operated batteries.

According to BBC, it was a challenging part to the researchers on how to put a skin on the top of a solar-powered prosthetic hand that allows the light to pass through the skin. But currently, the researchers are already working on creating a smart skin with graphene that embeds sensors that mimic the feedback of a human skin.

For skin, the researchers use a graphene, a flexible material and about one million times thinner than the paper. It is currently also the world's strongest material, which is electrically conductive and transparent. The transparency of graphene is considered a key feature that allows the solar light to travel on the prosthetic hands effectively.

In addition, CNET indicated that the smart skin with graphene for solar powered prosthetic hands requires a power of 20 nanowatts per square centimeter that is equivalent of a lowest-quality of photovoltaic cells that is currently available. The researchers said that the smart skin can generate its own energy without any additional battery, and the prosthetic hand will be lighter.

The engineering team was already looking some ways to divert the unused energy into batteries so it can be used when it is required. Researchers next step are to develop power-generation technology that could also increase the functionality of the solar powered prosthetic hand with graphene that allows them to have a better understanding of what they touch and interact with.

Eventually, the researchers hope that this creation by using graphene could allow the entire energy-autonomous prosthetic hand. They have been made some encouraging progress and looking forward to presenting those results soon and hoping to develop its prototype in the next two years.

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