It's time to develop a pressure sensitive material that will be used to make robots and prosthetic limbs more sensitive.
The stretchy material will consist of two thin layers of carbon nanotubes, which will function as an array of tiny springs. The nanotubes will be held in a layer of silicon, which will stretch in various directions while retaining its shape. A pair of these silicon encased nanotubes will be used to sandwich a third silicon layer that will hold an electrical charge. This arrangement will allow the material to detect and quantify pressure.
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