Robots could soon sense human touch, thanks to tactile artificial skin

A team of South Korean scientists has developed a tactile sensor that can be applied to robots as a type of skin, prompting robots to be able to feel the touch of humans. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said that its five-member team has developed a soft nano-composite material with a multiwall carbon nano-tube and silicone elastomer that is capable of detecting both contact force and location. The material, which is plastic, can be transformed into a wide variety of three-dimensional shapes applying to skin on robots, which are similar to that of humans, according to the KAIST team. "This technology allows (robots) to feel like a human does,“ said Lee Hyo-Sang, a profession at the Department of Mechanical Engineering in KAIST.
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