Robots Now Can Have Sense of Touch [video]

by Alfred Poor | July 14, 2021 | Enabling Tech

“Human touch”: it’s so central to our lives that it’s a key part of a Michelangelo painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. If robots are going to learn to interact with us in natural ways, touch is going to be an important skill for success....

Sew Fabric with Conductive Threads to Create Smart Clothing [video]

by Amantha May | July 7, 2021 | Enabling Tech

Smart clothing experiments have been focused largely on weaving conductive threads and yarns into fabric that can then be used to connect digital sensors and other devices. Researchers at the University of Bath have taken a different approach. Rather than make the...

New Smart Skin Lets You Sweat

by Alfred Poor | July 2, 2021 | Enabling Tech

Have you every worn a pair of rubber gloves to complete a task on a hot summer day? The gloves may stay dry on the outside, but in a short time the insides will be sopping wet because your hands sweat in the heat. And that liquid has no place to go because it’s...

New Smart Skin Includes Sensor and a Display

by Amantha May | June 14, 2021 | Enabling Tech

When it comes to electronic skin sensors, the name of the game is stretchability. In recent years, researchers have developed a range of solutions for stretchable sensors and other electronics which, when integrated with a flexible substrate, adhere to and move with...

Washable Smart Garments Harvest Wireless Energy [video]

by Amantha May | June 11, 2021 | Enabling Tech

Are you wearing your smart home hub? A team of engineering researchers at Purdue University have a vision of future smart garments as masterminds that integrate and control every aspect of your life, from your car to home security to health tracking. The research team...

New Artificial Retina Is Powered by Light to Restore Sight

by Amantha May | June 9, 2021 | Enabling Tech, Medical

An Australian researcher at the University of Sydney has developed an electronic, 3-D printed neural interface that can act as an artificial retina. The device could eventually restore visual function in patients with spinal cord injuries or neurodegenerative diseases...