Artificial skin developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge is as sensitive as a fingertip

Researchers at the University of Cambridge (https://www.cam.ac.uk/) have developed a sensitive artificial skin that gives robots a sense of touch very similar to that of humans. It enables machines to not only recognise how hard they are pressing on an object, but also the direction of the forces exerted, whether an object is slipping and even how rough its surface is.

Forces difficult to detect

Human fingers use several types of mechanoreceptors to simultaneously perceive pressure, force, vibration and texture. Reproducing this multidimensional tactile perception in artificial systems is a major challenge, especially in devices that are both small and robust and therefore suitable for everyday use.

‘Most tactile sensors are either too bulky, too sensitive, too complex to manufacture, or unable to accurately distinguish between normal and tangential forces. This has been a major obstacle to the development of truly dexterous robotic manipulators,’ emphasises developer Tawfique Hasan (https://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/profiles/th270).

Against this backdrop, the experts have developed a soft, flexible composite material that combines graphene sheets, deformable metal microdroplets and nickel particles in a silicone matrix. Inspired by the microstructures of human skin, the experts have shaped the material into micrometre-sized pyramids that register applied forces with their tips. This is achieved with four tiny pressure sensors in the base of each pyramid.

Sensor can even detect a grain of sand

The result is a tactile sensor that is sensitive enough to detect a grain of sand (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-026-02508-7). It can also distinguish between shear forces and vertical pressure, enabling it to detect when an object begins to slip so that the gripper can readjust. In tests, it has been able to grasp objects such as thin paper tubes without crushing them.

Unlike conventional force sensors, which rely on advance information about the properties of an object, the new system adapts in real time through slip detection. Beyond industrial robotics, the new sensitive ‘skin’ could also be significant for prosthetics (https://elec.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/cambridge-research-breakthrough-gives-robots-a-human-like-sense-of-touch/).

Artificial limbs rely on tactile feedback to give users a sense of touch. The new force sensors could enable more natural interaction with objects, thereby improving control, safety and user confidence, the scientists conclude.

Researchers at King’s College London (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/) are also drawing inspiration from some of nature’s most famous ‘sensors’, such as cat paws and elephant trunks, to develop even more sophisticated technical sensors with human-like touch. In combination with work on training these sensors in a way that mirrors human tactile memory, the time and cost of manufacturing robots should be greatly reduced.