Artificial skin 1000 times more sensitive than human skin

Benjamin Tee of the National University of Singapore and other researchers have created artificial skin 1000 times more sensitive than human skin. This skin feels perfectly the temperature, as well as the pressure. It should be used to cover prostheses to offer a better experience to the person, but also on robots so that they can better perceive their environment.

This mixture of rubber and plastic is covered with sensors. When the skin touches something, sensors transmit electrical impulses to a receiver. Human "sensors" send signals at a maximum frequency below 1 kHz, or 1000 times per second. As far as artificial skin is concerned, the sensors send signals at a frequency of 9 MHz, 9 million times per second.

Benjamin Tee explains that "when we touch a cup of coffee, for example, our skin instantly sends electrical signals to our muscles and our brain for treatment." This example of the cup of coffee is not trivial since, during tests, Benjamin Tee and the team of researchers placed the artificial skin on a hand prosthesis that held a hot cup. Scientists have observed that three types of sensations have been recorded. Following this, Benjamin Tee indicates that this technology could allow robots to have skin all over the body, just like a human being.

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