| Engadget RSS Feed |
| Engadget // via fulltextrssfeed.com |
Scientists replicate kitty whiskers to help robots 'feel'
1/24/2014 12:01:00 PM
Given how important feline whiskers supposedly are for sensory perception, they don't stop the typical house cat from knocking every fragile object in your apartment to the ground. In an effort to replicate that level of precision synthetically, researchers at the University of California Berkeley have harnessed nanoparticles to create ultra-sensitive fibers that could grant automatons whisker-like powers. By coating elastic fibers with a layer of carbon nanotubes and silver nanoparticles, scientist Ali Javey and his team created a material that they claim is 10 times more sensitive to pressure than all previous resistive or capacitive pressure sensors (like those found in smartphones). As Javey tells it, these faux whiskers could be used for spatial mapping in difficult environments. Moreover, their high sensitivity could even keep track of your heartbeat and pulse rate -- ideal for human-hunting robots of the near future.
You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at feedmyinbox.com
If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions
No comments:
Post a Comment