Researchers To Develop Synthetic Skin That Feels Pain

A team of researchers at Osaka University, Japan, are developing a synthetic skin that allows robots to empathize with human beings.

Although it would take a long time before we have “touchy-feely” robots, this research indicates that we are one step closer to turning them into a reality.

Sensors are embedded in soft, artificial skin. The sensors can detect gentle touch as well as more painful sensations.

The research was reported in the American Asociation for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting. The robots that have this skin could signal emotions. Minoru Asada, the research team’s member, called this an artificial “pain nervous system.” And with this small development, in the future, robots can feel pain like real humans.

The team has already come up with a lifelike robotic child’s head capable of changing facial expressions, responding to the synthetic skin’s touch and pain signals. The robot head is called “Affetto”. And it has shown to respond to a wide range of touch sensations.

Neuroscientist Kingson Man from The University of Southern California said that this development could allow machines to have a richer interaction with the world. The skin, rather than being rigid, feels soft, allowing for engagement in intelligent and versatile ways.

Asada hopes that with this development, robots could soon recognize when others feel pain. And this actually proves to be a critical skill for robots designed to take care of others, especially the elderly.

We will have to wait and see whether there will be a robot that can actually feel. But it sure is an interesting step forward to integrate robots into our society.

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