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peratech

Robots to get sensitive with artificial skin

British materials firm Peratech is developing artificial electronic skin for robots at MIT's Media Lab that will allow machines to know where they have been touched and with what degree of pressure. So you could tickle, back-slap, or caress your favorite robot, and it would know the difference.

Peratech is using its "quantum tunnelling composite" (QTC) material to create touch-sensitive skin for intelligent machines at MIT. QTC is a low-cost, flexible, and electrically conductive material that would give robots a new means of interacting with people.

Made of spiky metallic nanoparticles and silicone rubber, QTC works by … Read more

Quantum physics could make smartphones smarter

A unit of Samsung has licensed technology from U.K.-based Peratech that could help it build smartphone handsets with the ability to navigate via the amount of pressure applied to a touch screen. So if you're scrolling through a list or playing a game, your input could change depending on how much pressure you apply.

Read more of "With quantum physics, Samsung aims to make smartphones smarter" at ZDNet's The ToyBox.