The University of Bristol has recently developed a 3D-printed fingertip that feels like human skin to improve prosthetic hands.
Indeed, the researchers found out that artificial fingertips cou
ld produce artificial nerve s
ignals mimicking human touch. To do so, they used a 3D-printed mesh of tiny pin-like bumps similar to the ones on human skin. Although the result is a close match to the neural data, it is still not as sensitive to finer details due to 3D-printed skin begin thicker.
This advancement in artificial intelligence is vital to uncovering how the complex internal structure of human skin can create a human sense of touch. In the future, the University would like to develop artificial skin that is indistinguishable from real skin.
