Bots That Feel: Touch-Sensitive Robot Skin

Some dubious scientists at the University of California Berkeley have developed a touch-sensitive "skin" material that can be applied to robot exteriors SO THEY CAN FEEL THE PAIN WHILE I'M BEATING THEM MERCILESSLY. What's next, robots that cry during movies? Because I'm not above throwing candy.

The material is built using semiconductor nanowires that can operate using low voltages, and it's more flexible than previous inorganic synthetic skins. This "e-skin" is also stronger than its competing organic materials. Organic materials are also poor semiconductors, and require a higher voltage to operate.

The e-skin can detect pressure in the range from 0 to 15 kilopascals, or similar to the pressure needed to perform normal daily tasks. In other words, when your cyber-being goes to clean the wine glasses from last night's party, it won't break them, and when your robot goes to make you a sandwich, it won't flatten it to the size of your silicon microprocessor.

Oh right, like I'd ever trust a robot to make a sandwich. God, IF I WANTED FOOD POISONING I'D GO TO APPLEBEE'S.

Artificial 'E-skin' May Soon Help Robots 'Feel' [pcworld]
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Thanks to MrTwinkles, Pesche, JT, Patrick, Zachary, letseatlunch, Jagger and fish man, who agree the only thing robots need to feel is death's cold embrace.

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