Imagine an advanced robotic hand that can grasp a fragile piece of tofu without crushing it! A research team co-led by researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed an innovative tactile sensor with super fast response time and high sensitivity. It can distinguish different external stimuli in real time, with the potential to be applied to electronic skin and smart prosthetics. It can offer hope to people with physical disabilities or severe limb injuries to regain their sense of touch and improve their quality of life.

The study was co-led by Dr Yang Zhengbao, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of CityU, and his collaborator, Professor Hu Hong from Harbin Institution of Technology, Shenzhen. Their findings have been published in Advanced Science under the title “Skin-inspired Piezoelectric Tactile Sensor Array with Crosstalk-free Row+column Electrodes for Spatiotemporally Distinguishing Diverse Stimuli”.

Read full story at CityU News