The next time you grab your morning coffee, observe how the palm of your hand wraps around the cup. It’s probably not something you’d normally notice, but your skin can compress to help you avoid spilling your drink.
Northeastern University researchers are exploring how to bring that versatility and tactility to robotics.
As part of a new research project supported by the National Science Foundation, Ravinder Dahiya, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern, will explore the feasibility of bringing the robotics community one step closer to achieving that goal.
Specifically, Dahiya will work to create a device that would enable electronic skin used in robots to expand and contract similar to the way human skin does.

The device…