Artificial Self-Healing Skin Can Sense Touch

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Artificial Self-Healing Skin Can Sense Touch

Posted by samzenpus on Monday November 12, 2012 @09:46AM from the touchy-feely dept.

thomst writes "Tim Wogan reports that chemical engineer Zhenan Bao of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and her team have increased the conductivity of a self-healing polymer by incorporating nickel atoms. The polymer they have produced is sensitive to applied forces like pressure and torsion (twisting) because such forces alter the distance between the nickel atoms, changing the electrical resistance of the polymer. Their work is published online in the November 1 issue of Nature Nanotechnology (abstract here, full article paywalled). Now Bao and her team are working on making the polymer more flexible."

18 comments

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How long before... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-12 09:50 · Score: 2, Interesting

...this is used for sex toys?
1. Re:How long before... by trum4n · 2012-11-12 10:28 · Score: 1
  
  Too late.
2. Re:How long before... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-12 10:36 · Score: 0
  
  The Outer Limits, episode Valerie 23
  (relevant, safe for work etc...)
Torsion? by multiben · 2012-11-12 09:56 · Score: 3, Funny

I like how the summary includes an explanation of what torsion means. That was easily the most complex part of this article (piece of writing) so it was nice to have it put in layman's' terms.
1. Re:Torsion? by h4rr4r · 2012-11-12 10:05 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, FSM forbid you have to use google or have a basic understanding of English.
2. Re:Torsion? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-12 10:18 · Score: 0
  
  You know he was being sarcastic, right?
3. Re:Torsion? by h4rr4r · 2012-11-12 10:22 · Score: 2
  
  Sorry, I have had to deal with too much stupid today.
4. Re:Torsion? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-12 10:34 · Score: 0
  
  I can imagine why.
5. Re:Torsion? by wonkey_monkey · 2012-11-12 10:44 · Score: 2
  
  Spongebob forbid that a journalist should make even a minimal effort to make his article more accessible to a wider audience by briefly redefining an infrequently used mainly scientific term into everyday language.
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Re:Wow... I can't believe you just said that? by wonkey_monkey · 2012-11-12 10:45 · Score: 1

I'm sorry, but you suck for your intolerance.
You suck for replying to the wrong article ;)

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systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Re:Succession, if allowed would be a boom. by wonkey_monkey · 2012-11-12 10:48 · Score: 3, Funny

Congratulations on seceding from both correct spelling and the right article :)

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systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Re:Succession, if allowed would be a boom. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-12 15:00 · Score: 0

+1 LMAO
Pfffft... by Brad1138 · 2012-11-12 15:59 · Score: 1

I saw this 10 years ago...

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If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
Re:Wow... I can't believe you just said that? by multicoregeneral · 2012-11-13 02:09 · Score: 1

How the heck did that happen?

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This signature intentionally left blank.
Re:Wow... I can't believe you just said that? by wonkey_monkey · 2012-11-13 05:21 · Score: 1

Could be something fracked up at Slashdot just then - someone else did the same thing around the same time.

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systemd is Roko's Basilisk.