A new synthetic material that
creates a linked sensory network similar to a biological nervous system could
enable soft robots to sense how they interact with their environment and adjust
their actions accordingly. The stretchable optical lace material was developed
by researchers at the Organics Robotics Lab at Cornell University.
The optical lace would not be
used as a skin coating for robots, but would be more like the flesh itself.
Robots fitted with the material would be better suited for the health care
industry and manufacturing. While the optical lace does not have as much
sensitivity as a human fingertip, which is jam-packed with nerve receptors, the
material is more sensitive to touch than the human back.
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