A new development in nanotechnology may enable "electronic skin" for robots and prosthetic limbs, offering sensitivity not just to pressure, but to humidity and temperature—and it's even flexible.
The new material is developed by chemical engineers at the Israel Institute of Technology, who found that a certain type of gold nanoparticle changed how it conducted electricity based on pressure.
These nanoparticles are only 5-8 nanometers in diameter, comprising a gold core and a spiky, protective outer layer. When sandwiched into a special film, the way that film is bent or pressed may cause the nanoparticles to spread out or bunch together, changing how well electricity passes between them.
More from NBC News:
Pre-caffeine tech: NSA spooks, LinkedIn creeps!
41 megapixels?! Nokia's Lumia 1020 has one monster of a camera
Want to love a robot? Let it nurture you, not the other way around