Nerve-like mesh could give robots a sense of touch more delicate than SKIN on the human back

A synthetic mesh could give robots a sense of touch that is delicate as the skin on out backs, researchers have claimed. The material forms a linked sensory network similar to that of a biological nervous system -- one that could help robots feel their interactions with the environment. The lattice is made of flexible polyurethane that contains stretchable optical fibres with sensors than can detect how the fibres are being deformed. The device -- a sort-of stretchable optical lace -- was developed by roboticists Patricia Xu and Rob Shepherd of Cornell University and colleagues. 'We want to have a way to measure stresses and strains for highly deformable objects, and we want to do it using the hardware itself, not vision,' said Professor Shepherd.