3D Printed Bionic Skin Will Help Humans and Machines Merge

[rangerrebew]

3D Printed Bionic Skin Will Help Humans and Machines Merge

    May 17, 2017

by Philip Perry

A new 3D printed “Bionic Skin” developed at the University of Minnesota, is a stretchable, electronic fabric, which would allow robots to gain tactile sensation. The results of this study were published in the journal, Advanced Materials. Scientists have been dreaming of artificial skin since the 1970's. Thanks to funding by a division of the National Institutes of Health, we are much closer to making it a reality.

Michael McAlpine was the lead researcher on this study. He’s a mechanical engineering associate professor at the university. In 2013, while at Princeton, McApline gained international attention for 3D printing nano-materials to fashion a “bionic ear.” For this project, Prof. McAlpine enlisted graduate students Shuang-Zhuang Guo, Kaiyan Qiu, Fanben Meng, and Sung Hyun Park.

http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/3d-printed-bionic-skin-will-help-merge-humans-with-machines

[Free Vulcan]

Excellent Smithers!

[Doug Loss]

Boy, the site took a big jump from the creation of a pressure-sensitive artificial skin for use in robotics and prosthetics to the merging of humans and machines due to its creation.  I believe the logical term for that is "non sequitur."