Researchers have designed a robotic "artificial skin" that is as unique as the team's animal inspiration--the platypus. Created by collaborators between China's Tsinghua University and the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, the dual-sensory system can interpret information not just from direct physical touch, but also through detecting electrostatic changes in the air around it. The platypus is famously recognized for its wide range of zoological oddities. Over millions of years, the egg-laying mammal has evolved a duck bill, webbed feet tipped with tiny, venomous talons, as well as a flat, beaver-like tail. But not all of its notable attributes are physical--the creature also relies on a highly attuned sensory system capable of identifying both mechanical inputs like touch, and electrical shifts in its nearby environment.