Robots could soon feel feel as scientists develop artificial skin

It may sound a little unsettling and perhaps more akin to a dystopian sci-fi thriller. But robots could soon feel pain thanks to the development of a new electronic skin which can mimic uncomfortable sensations. The scientists behind the invention say a mechanical hand fitted with the smart skin showed a remarkable ability to learn to react to external stimuli such as a jab in the palm. It uses a new type of processing system based on'synaptic transistors, which mimics the brain's neural pathways in order to learn' to feel pain. Experts have been working for decades to build artificial skin with touch sensitivity, with one widely-explored method featuring an array of contact sensors across an electronic skin's surface to allow it detect when it comes into contact with an object.