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This thin robotic skin looks like could have been flayed straight from an octopus. As it warps, bends, and stretches to five times its original size, it senses pressure and makes a rainbow of different colors of light. Metal men be damned—this is the new future of robots.
Unveiled today by a team of scientists at Cornell University and the Italian Technology Institute in Pontedera, Italy, the new luminescent robotic skin is made from various types of specialized silicone and is soft to the touch. The scientists say it could one day be used in designing anything from camouflaged soft robots to wearable electronic screens. The research is outlined today in the journal Science, and was funded in part by the research wings of the Army and Air Force.
"Soft robots themselves have a great potential for human-robot interaction, because they're much safer and feel nice," says Robert Shepherd, the Cornell University roboticist who headed the research effort. "This skin could allow soft robots to make themselves more or less visible in their environment, or colorize themselves to appear more friendly or aggressive. Those are traits we'd borrow directly from the octopus."
Stretchy Glow-in-the-Dark Octopus Skin for Robots Is Real
The octobot future is here.
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