Robots with human skin?

Robots with human skin? Wow! Scientists at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory have now developed a highly sensitive 3D-printed fingertip mesh of pin-size sensors similar to the papillae in human skin.

According to Prof Nathan Lepora, of Bristol University, their work helps uncover how the complex internal structure of human skin creates our human sense of touch.

Papillae are found between the outer epidermal and inner dermal layers of human tactile skin.

The robot papillae are made on advanced 3D-printers that can mix together soft and hard materials to create complicated structures like those found in biology.

Their findings, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, include the first neural recordings of the human sense of touch.

“We found our 3D-printed tactile fingertip can produce artificial nerve signals that look like recordings from real, tactile neurons. Human tactile nerves transmit signals from various nerve endings called mechanoreceptors, which can signal the pressure and shape of a contact,” added Prof Lepora.