Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Nanotubes Make Synthetic Skin Feel Your Pain

I would say that this kind of developments mean that something like "bionics" ever so much closer to reality. Plus my money says that this is a jumping off point for a true android.

Carbon nanotubes can conduct sensations through artificial skin back to the brain, making prosthetic limbs feel like the real thing. A nanotube like this one, delicately balanced on top of gold filaments, is threaded through a rubbery polymer. This nanotube-infused polymer generates electricity in response to pressure or force, creating signals that can be routed to your brain. That's why this synthetic skin can "feel." Researchers want to build a prosthetic limb out of this stuff by 2010. Click through for more images of carbon nanotubes, the artificial nervous systems of tomorrow.

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