A team of scientists from the and has created a highly responsive designed to help robots sense their surroundings in a way that closely mimics human touch. This development addresses one of the biggest obstacles in robotics: the inability of machines to genuinely 鈥渇eel.鈥�
While companies such as Boston Dynamics have made impressive advancements in humanoid robotics, their creations cannot experience and interpret physical sensations the way humans do. Past attempts to equip robots with touch sensitivity involved installing sensors to detect pressure, heat, cold or pain. However, these solutions are often inaccurate and only capable of detecting one type of sensation at a time.
The newly developed skin changes that. Made from a single type of hydrogel, the skin is capable of detecting multiple stimuli, such as touch, pressure, heat and cold, all within the same material. The researchers cast the hydrogel into the shape of a hand and fitted it like a glove onto a robotic one. This allowed the robot to better sense its environment and react to different forms of contact more accurately. Though this technology is still in its early stages, the researchers believe it could be useful for improving robot performance in factories, dangerous work zones or even disaster response efforts. Their findings were recently published in the journal Science Robotics.
Previous attempts at synthetic skin technology
Synthetic skin for robots is not a brand-new concept. Researchers have been experimenting with it since at least 2016, placing small sensors into robotic fingertips and hands to detect texture and shape. However, those setups required separate sensors for each type of input, which complicated the system. For example, detecting both heat and pressure meant using multiple types of sensors, each tuned to a specific type of sensation. These components could interfere with one another, causing inaccurate readings, or what scientists refer to as 鈥渃ross talk.鈥� This interference reduces the system鈥檚 effectiveness and can even damage the sensors. Trying to pack more sensors into small robotic body parts, such as a hand, also raises the chances of errors and makes the design more complex.
Development and testing of the robotic skin
To solve this, the researchers wanted to create a single material capable of picking up different types of physical input without needing multiple sensors. They developed a soft, stretchable and electrically conductive hydrogel, a water-absorbent material that retains moisture while maintaining its structure, that converts physical stimuli into digital signals that can be processed by a computer. This hydrogel-based skin is embedded with 860,000 individual pathways designed to detect and differentiate between types of contact. In testing, the team exposed the skin to various types of stimulation to fine-tune its sensitivity.
They also tested how the skin would function after being melted down and reshaped. After reforming it into the shape of a human hand, the team placed it on a robot鈥檚 hand and found that it still worked effectively. Even when poked or lightly touched, the skin could distinguish different pressure levels. In one test, they exposed the hand to a heat blast to partially melt it, then sliced it open with a scalpel. Despite these stress tests, the robotic hand was still able to 鈥渇eel鈥� and respond to the different inputs using the same skin, without relying on separate sensors.
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By GlobalDataOne of the researchers, Thomas George Thuruthel, stated that while the technology has not yet reached the same level as human skin, it is more advanced than any other system currently available. He emphasised the flexibility and simplicity of the design compared to older sensor-based methods, saying it is easier to build and more adaptable to various uses involving human-like touch.
Current challenges
Despite its promise, the synthetic skin isn鈥檛 perfect. It still doesn鈥檛 match the full sensitivity and responsiveness of real human skin. The system may outperform traditional multi-sensor designs, but its performance is not yet ideal in all use cases. The technology is still being refined, and each application may require custom calibration to function optimally.
Furthermore, because it is a new type of material, its long-term durability and effectiveness in real-world environments are still being studied. Still, researchers believe this breakthrough has practical potential. It shows that a robot鈥檚 outer skin can be reshaped, reused and remain functional. This means that parts of a robot鈥檚 body could be covered in this skin and still detect touch, which could be critical in factories, construction sites or other human-robot shared spaces. Machines that work closely with people need to recognise if they are gripping something hot or fragile. With this kind of responsive, human-like skin, robots might finally be able to do that reliably.
