Friday, September 22, 2006

Robotics Sensor Images the Sense of Touch


One of the biggest challenges in robotics engineering is mimicking the human sense of touch. The ability to respond to texture and pressure is essential for delicate tasks, such as surgery. To that end, researchers have developed a new type of sensor that has a tactile sensitivity comparable to that of human fingertips--making it 50 times more sensitive than previously existing technology.