Name: Artificial skin? We made it — here's why
Uploaded: 2023-11-03T14:37:37Z
Duration: 10 min 56 s
Description: Material scientist Anna Maria Coclite unveils "smart skin" — artificial skin technology that responds to touch, temperature and humidity like your very own. (It's actually even more sensitive than human skin!) From helping burn victims to paving the way to smarter, safer humanoid robots, Coclite highlights the broad-ranging potential of this innovation.

Material scientist Anna Maria Coclite unveils "smart skin" — artificial skin technology that responds to touch, temperature and humidity like your very own. (It's actually even more sensitive than human skin!) From helping burn victims to paving the way to smarter, safer humanoid robots, Coclite highlights the broad-ranging potential of this innovation.

Engineers have created a smart artificial skin that can sense touch, temperature, and humidity all at once, at a resolution four times finer than human skin. Using microscopic cylinders made from stimuli-responsive and piezoelectric materials, this skin mimics the way real skin sends electrical signals to the brain. The technology could help burn victims regain sensation, improve robotic safety, and give prosthetics the gift of touch. With over 200 million smartwatch users worldwide, such sensitive skins might soon transform everyday devices as well.