New 'Smart Skin' Could Make Prosthetics More Real

The prosthetic hand is equipped with the proposed skin, which is soft and warm enough for a baby. 


New prosthetic skin that is warm and elastic like real skin, and is packed with many different kinds of sensors, could one day help people with prosthetic limbs regain their sense of touch, researchers say. 

In experiments, the researchers laminated "electronic skin" -- prosthetic skin embedded with electronics -- onto a prosthetic hand. They found that the skin could survive complex operations, such as shaking hands, tapping keyboards, grasping baseballs, holding hot or cold drinks, touching dry or wet diapers, and touching other people. 

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