Single-material electronic skin gives robots the human touch

Scientists from the University of Cambridge, including Professor Fumiya Iida, Professor of Robotics, and University College London (UCL) have developed a low-cost, durable, and highly sensitive robotic “skin.” This flexible, conductive layer can be worn on robotic hands like a glove, senses and processes multiple physical inputs, and is easy to manufacture; it can even be melted down and remolded into complex shapes. By equipping robots with this skin, the team enables more meaningful, human-like interaction with the physical world. The results are reported in the journal Science Robotics.