15/07/2025
Scientists from the University of Cambridge have created a new type of electronic “skin” made from a soft, gelatin-based hydrogel.
This material can sense various types of touch, including pokes, pressure, heat, cold, and even damage like cuts.
To test its abilities, the researchers poked it, heated it with a heat gun, and cut it with a scalpel. This helped show how the skin can detect different sensations through just one type of built-in sensor.
In total, the team collected 1.7 million data points during testing. They used this data to train a machine learning system that helps the skin recognize different types of touch.
This low-cost, durable skin could one day help robots or prosthetic limbs "feel" their surroundings, improving how they interact with people and objects.