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Researchers at the US’ University of Buffalo (UB) are developing a new electronic textile (e-textile) that mimics how nerves in human hands sense pressure and slip while grasping objects.
The e-textile seeks to address problems in robot dexterity. Press material published by the university said that although robots excel at many things, having “a good sense of touch is not among them”.
The press release continued: “Whether dropping items or pinching them too tightly which crushes the object, many robots struggle with these basic skills that humans have mastered. Over the years scientists have equipped robots with cameras and other tools that enable the machines to better sense objects. But a simple and cost-effective solution remains elusive.”
As such, Jun Liu, PhD – assistant professor in the UB Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, core faculty member of the university’s RENEW Institute and the study’s corresponding author – sought to find this solution.
“The applications are very exciting,” said Liu. “The technology could be used in manufacturing tasks like assembling products and packaging them – basically any situation where humans and robots collaborate. It could also help improve robotic surgery tools and prosthetic limbs.”
The results of the study were published in “Nature Communications” in July 2025. Its additional authors included Ehsan Esfahani, PhD, associate professor in the UB Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, several UB students, and a former UB PhD student from Liu’s group who is now a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago.
Vashin Gautham, a PhD candidate in the Liu research group and first author of the study, explained that the sensor functions like human skin: “It’s flexible, highly sensitive and uniquely capable of detecting not just pressure, but also subtle slip and movement of objects. It’s like giving machines a real sense of touch and grip, and this breakthrough could transform how robots, prosthetics, and human-machine interaction systems interact with the world around them.”
Practical test with 3D-printed fingers
According to press material, to test the e-textile researchers integrated the sensing system onto a pair of 3D-printed robotic fingers, which were mounted to a compliant robotic gripper developed by Esfahani’s group.
Esfahani explained: “The integration of this sensor allows the robotic gripper to detect slippage and dynamically adjust its compliance and grip force, enabling in-hand manipulation tasks that were previously difficult to achieve.”
For example, when researchers tried to pull a copper weight from the fingers, the gripper sensed this and immediately tightened its grip. “This sensor is the missing component that brings robotic hands one step closer to functioning like a human hand,” Esfahani adds. The slight movement of the object causes friction between the two materials, which in turn generates direct-current (DC) electricity – a phenomenon known as the tribovoltaic effect.”
Human-level speed
The results of the test indicated that the system’s response time was comparable to the capabilities of humans. Liu explained: “The system is incredibly fast, and well within the biological benchmarks set forth by human performance. We found that the stronger or faster the slip, the stronger the response is from the sensor – this is fortuitous because it makes it easier to build control algorithms to enable the robot to act with precision.”
Currently, the research team plans to conduct additional testing of the system, including integrating a form of artificial intelligence (AI) known as reinforcement learning that could further improve the robot’s dexterity.
Discover innovators shaping the future of smart textiles.
Author: Otis Robinson, WTiN
