A team of Japanese researchers have created a thin, flexible network of pressure and temperature sensors that could be used to give robots a sense of touch. This isn't the first time artificial skin for robots has been developed, however it is the first time that pressure and temperature sensing have been combined.
Speaking to the BBC News website, Dr Douglas Weibel, of the department of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University said "the material sounds like it could have lots of functions."
This new creation could change the way in which we interact with robots. A machine covered in this new skin could function very differently to existing machines with a much more limited range of sensors. The University of Tokyo scientists who developed the technology don't see any reason to stop now. They are thinking of adding a wider range of sensory functions to their new robot skin.
