Adaptive tunable sensing system inspired by scorpions for dynamic vibration perception in unstructured environments

Embodied intelligence (EI) requires adaptive vibration perception that dynamically adjusts to target stimuli. However, conventional sensing paradigms with fixed parameters fundamentally limit EI from enabling adaptive perception for wide-range and unpredictable signals. Here, inspired by scorpions, which achieve adaptive and tunable vibration perception through a biological closed loop to reach an optimal detection state for variable vibration stimuli, we developed a Bioinspired Adaptive Tunable Sensing System (BATSS).

The BATSS autonomously switches among three sensing states with distinct parameter configurations according to real-time signal variations, achieving an ultrahigh and tunable gauge factor of 17,889–29,558, a wide strain range of 0.012–2.83%, and precise discrimination of vibration amplitudes across a 500-fold dynamic range (0.04–20 g). Integrated into a hexapod robot, BATSS enables adaptive gait and posture modulation in complex terrains, achieving 100% traversal success with a 34.6% shorter traversal time. This work advances embodied perception for interaction with unknown environments and demonstrates strong potential for robotics where adaptability, robustness, and autonomy are essential.

This research was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (no.2024M751088), and the Outstanding Talent Team of “Changbai Talent Plan” in Jilin Province. These authors contributed equally: Yufeng zhao, Tao Hou. Key laboratory of Bionic engineering (Ministry of education), Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China College of Communication Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China Tao Hou, Yueqiao Wang, Qianhui Sun, Meihe Liu, Fang Zhao, Yue Wang, Yongyi Hou, Zhuo Qiu, Yun Liu & Fu Liu Institute of Structured and Architected Materials, Liaoning Academy of Materials, Shenyang, Liaoning, China The authors declare no competing interests.

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If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. zhao, Y., Hou, T., Wang, Y. et al. Adaptive tunable sensing system inspired by scorpions for dynamic vibration perception in unstructured environments. npj Flex Electron (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00655-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00655-0