Have you ever wondered why the skin on your hand isn’t the same as the case on your phone… No?
Well neither have we, however a team at the University of Bristol alongside Telecomm ParisTech and The University of Paris have decided it’s something we are all missing.
They have developed a new prototype, which mimics the feeling of human skin, it will also respond to different forms of contact such as tickling or pinching.
Branded as “Skin-On Interface” it has the capacity to be attached to phones, wearable tech and laptops or tablets.
The team has said this is just the start of their ‘anthropomorphic devices’ where gadgets have human characteristics.
The “skin” looks strange there is nothing that can be said about that, however is that only because we wouldn’t expect that from our current gadgetry?
If there was strong advantages to this type of technology would people not already be using it?
The artificial skin has been developed with the use of two layers of silicone dubbed ‘dermis’ and ‘hypodermis’ and there is and electrode layer between them, this allows the feeling to be collected by the silicone layers.
Think of it as a tent, there is a thinker exterior and the thinner inner film, however between the two layers there is a mesh that is made up of ultra thin wires, they are able to comprehend the touch.
Therefore the skin can read many different forms of touch, whether it be a pinch or a tickle. they have also been able to pass that to a computer to relate it to an emoticon, so you pinch the artificial skin and it is angry.
The skin has a very subtle texture and due to the dying process it even has the appearance of human skin.
The team believe this could then be used by phones and smartwatches to arouse a richer emotional experience with the technology, read into that as you may.
