Electronic skin could help robots feel their way around better

While the field of robotics did make some pretty large strides when replicating the senses of sight and sound, smell and taste are still way at the back with touch long thought to be the most difficult among them. Of course, this pecking order might just change with the introduction of a new pressure-sensitive electronic skin that is comprised of germanium and silicon which is wrapped around a sticky polyimide film. The prototype itself measures around 7.6 square inches, where it will be able to detect various pressures between 0 and 15 kilopascals, which is somewhat the equivalent of typing on a keyboard or holding a small object. The rubbery skin can change its thickness in response to changes in pressure, where it will then be measured and controlled by built-in capacitors. Robots that “feel”, now how would that work out in relationship dynamics?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Robots, Top Stories
Tags: Robot, Robotics, Robots