Smart foam gives robots a human-like sense of touch

Robots and machines are getting smarter with the advancement of artificial intelligence, but they still lack the ability to touch and feel their subtle and complex surroundings like human beings. Now researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have invented a smart foam that can quite literally give machines more of a human touch, describing their results in the journal Nature Communications. The human sense of touch enables people to manipulate objects and operate effectively in unfamiliar environments. When machines that interact with humans possess this capability, robotic motion can be smoother, safer and more predictable. Take machines such as cleaning robots and robotic waiters as an example.