Electronic skin gives robots the human touch

Known as Wootzkin, the electronic skin is designed to allow robots to complete tasks requiring greater dexterity, such as handling soft fruit.

The skin, developed by Edinburgh and Sedgefield-based Wootzano, was presented at the Annual Showcase of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub in May.

The Wootzkin, which is made of a specially-modified elastomer with metal electrodes deposited on top using photolithography, can be bent, stretched and twisted without causing any damage to the sensor.

The skin has piezoelectric and piezoresistive sensing capabilities, meaning it can be used to measure force and pressure, and is also embedded with temperature sensors, according to its developer Dr Atif Syed, founder and CEO of Wootzano.

“We’re trying to make something that is akin to human skin, so it can give the robot feedback on force, pressure, temperature, and humidity,” he said. “And it can also go beyond human evolution and smell when it is touching a particular object.”