Flexible sensor 'skin' to help robots or prosthetic devices convey a sense of touch

The bio-inspired robot sensor skin mimics the way a human finger experiences tension and compression as it slides along a surface. Researchers have developed a flexible sensor “skin” that can be wrapped around a finger or any other part of a robot or prosthetic device to help convey a sense of touch, enabling them to perform everything from surgical and industrial procedures to cleaning a kitchen. The bio-inspired robot sensor skin mimics the way a human finger experiences tension and compression as it slides along a surface or distinguishes among different textures and can detect tiny vibrations at 800 times per second, better than human fingers. The study, detailed in the journal Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, demonstrated that the physically robust and chemically resistant sensor skin could vastly improve the ability of robots to perform everything from surgical and industrial procedures to cleaning a kitchen, opening a door, interacting with a phone, shaking hands, picking up packages and handling objects, among others.