Jan 2 2008
Most robots of the science fiction based future come clad in a metal case. New research means the real robots of the future are likely to be more like the Terminator with an external covering bristling with environmental sensors and similar in appearance and texture to human skin.
Robots of the future to look more like the Terminator than R2D2 with human like skin full of nanosensors.
For robots to interact seamlessly with people in our work and household environments they will need to be relatively soft. They will also need to be able to continuously gather information about their surroundings. Robot skin will therefore need to be covered in a massive array of sensors. The result is expected to be a kind of rubberised electronic device containing many sensors and integrated circuits, not just a simple hard cover.
A Japanese research team is currently working on just such a covering. The researchers Masahiro Inoue, Hiroe Ssaki, Katsuaki Suganuma, Toshimi Kawasaki, Tetsuo Rokuhara, Takahiro Miyashita and Hiroshi Ishiguro from The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International and Togawa Rubber Co, are developing a novel artificial skin containing the self-organized network of large numbers of sensors and data processors for humanoid robots and related equipment. As part of developing this material advanced electronic packaging technology based on soft matter science must be established.
The results of the first step of this study, developing super-flexible wires, electrodes and interconnections using conductive adhesives composed of a silicone-based binder, have now been published in the open source materials journal, AZojomo – OARS.
The researchers were able to overcome previous conductivity problems using silver nanoparticles. This meant they could successfully fabricate super-flexible wires and interconnections that were used to make a prototype sensor sheet containing piezoelectric PVDF films on a silicone rubber.
The article is available to view at http://www.azom.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=4031.