Electronic “Skin”
October 30, 2012 | Terry Sharrer
Thus far, robots haven’t had to worry about tactile allodynia—tenderness of the skin to touch. But they may soon become more sensitive creatures. Researchers at Seoul National University have engineered sheets of polymer that have hair-like nanofibers which are coated with an electrically conductive metal. When two sheets are sandwiched so their hairs come into contact, they are electrically capable of detecting touch to a greater extent than natural human skin. This is potentially useful in designing prosthetics, as well as more-feeling robots. MORE
Image Credit: Nature Materials and SmartPlanet.com