# Skin conductivity **URL:** \ **Category:** Electronics\ **Created:** [November 10, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518 "2024-11-10T13:29:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Kiwi](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Kiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/1 "2024-11-10T13:29:47Z")
In theory, could I put electricity (low level, of course) through my skin? How about GND? ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Kiwi](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Kiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 1:30pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/2 "2024-11-10T13:30:28Z")
This might seem like an XY problem… ---
**Author:** ![bablokb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@bablokb](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/bablokb)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 8:12am UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/3 "2024-11-11T08:12:41Z")
That is what those body fat scales do: they measure resistance. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Kiwi](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Kiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 3:45am UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/4 "2024-11-13T03:45:48Z")
But at what level would it be safe? Could I for example blink an LED with the LED’s GND through a wire and 3.3v through my skin? ---
**Author:** ![bablokb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@bablokb](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/bablokb)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 7:07am UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/5 "2024-11-13T07:07:55Z")
You can search Google for the term “skin conductivity”. There are many hits, mostly scientific papers. E.g.[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38084094\_Conduction\_of\_Electrical\_Current\_to\_and\_Through\_the\_Human\_Body\_A\_Review](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38084094_Conduction_of_Electrical_Current_to_and_Through_the_Human_Body_A_Review) shows a table: > Table 1. Estimated effects of 60 Hz AC currents∗ > 1 mA Barely perceptible > 16 mA Maximum current an average man can grasp and “let go” > 20 mA Paralysis of respiratory muscles > 100 mA Ventricular fibrillation threshold > 2 A Cardiac standstill and internal organ damage > 15/20 A Common fuse breaker opens circuit Although you are not dealing with 60HZ AC currents, the paper claims that it is the current, not the voltage that is the problem. So I would not try to blink an LED with the current flowing through your skin, because you are already in the critical range of 20mA. But maybe you can describe what you really want to do. Very often, there is a different solution that has the same effect. E.g. measure resistance and then switch current depending on what you measure (without the current path going through your body). ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Kiwi](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Kiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 1:07pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/6 "2024-11-13T13:07:12Z")
> [@bablokb](#): > > But maybe you can describe what you really want to do That’s why I said that it’s an XY problem… I wanted to have for example a small speaker such as [this one](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/mini-oval-speaker-8-ohm-1-watt?variant=31150555267155) by Pimoroni. I wanted to have one wire running to some device (like a Raspberry Pi Pico) and the other going through me. So you can’t put enough power for the speaker through your skin safely? ---
**Author:** ![alphanumeric](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.pimoroni.com/alphanumeric/32/2729_2.png) [@alphanumeric](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/alphanumeric)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/7 "2024-11-13T20:12:06Z")
IMHO, your better off trying something like this, [Adafruit 8-Key Capacitive Touch Sensor Breakout - I2C or SPI](https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/adafruit-8-key-capacitive-touch-sensor-breakout-i2c-or-spi?variant=492325889) The amount of signal you would need to actually get sound from the speaker would not be safe. ---
**Author:** ![alphanumeric](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.pimoroni.com/alphanumeric/32/2729_2.png) [@alphanumeric](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/alphanumeric)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 8:28am UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/8 "2024-11-19T08:28:11Z")
Have a look see at this. [Power-Over-Skin Makes Powering Wearables Easier | Hackaday](https://hackaday.com/2024/11/04/power-over-skin-makes-powering-wearables-easier/) [Hacking Haptics: The 19-Sensor Patch Bringing Touch To Life | Hackaday](https://hackaday.com/2024/11/18/hacking-haptics-the-19-sensor-patch-bringing-touch-to-life/) ---
**Author:** ![bablokb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@bablokb](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/bablokb)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 10:49am UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/9 "2024-11-19T10:49:19Z")
Thanks for the link. Very impressive. Too bad it is in the µW domain. BTW: for the RP2040, you don’t even need a capacitive touch sensor, since the pins can do that on their own. You just add a wire and touch it. No idea about MicroPython, but CircuitPython supports this. This has been disabled for the RP2350 because of the E9 bug though. I am using this for some projects: a simple wire from the board to the enclosure, and I have a hidden “sensor button”. Pimoroni also sells adhesive copper-tape, this helps if you need to create a larger active surface. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Kiwi](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Kiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/10 "2024-11-19T21:48:33Z")
The Hackaday link looks promising. How would I actually wire the device receiving the power though? ---
**Author:** ![alphanumeric](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forums.pimoroni.com/alphanumeric/32/2729_2.png) [@alphanumeric](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/alphanumeric)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/11 "2024-11-19T21:53:34Z")
I don’t know anymore about it than you do. I frequent the Hackaday site, saw that stuff, and posted it here for perusal. I haven’t done anything even close to what I linked too. I just thought it was cool and relevant. ;) ---
**Author:** ![bablokb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@bablokb](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/bablokb)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2024, 7:15am UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/12 "2024-11-20T07:15:13Z")
This is all research, nothing you can buy. And it is all extremely low power. So nothing for your use cases. Nothing for us normal makers. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Kiwi](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Kiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/13 "2024-11-20T15:58:45Z")
> [@bablokb](#): > > nothing you can buy. But couldn’t I make it with just like some metal pads attached to me and some resistors to control how much goes through or something like that? Like just blinking an LED? ---
**Author:** ![Peter1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@Peter1](https://forums.pimoroni.com/u/Peter1)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2025, 7:20am UTC](https://forums.pimoroni.com/t/skin-conductivity/26518/14 "2025-08-20T07:20:51Z")
There are a few devices that do this- Galvanic skin response, tenns units etc. Be aware in AC currents 5mA across the heart will kill you. So is it ac or dc? What exactly are you wanting to do? Are the 2 connection on the one finger or section or one on each hand, or head to foot? There is a lot to your question before a safe answer can be given…