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Researchers have recently developed new soft hand technology for robot use. The hands have stretchable, optical sensors that allow them to sense textures and shapes. The sensors work by being able to detect tiny changes to light signals. From tests, using this technology the robots were even able to sense a ripe tomato.
## The hope is that this sort of research can help with prosthetic limbs, medical research, and more. 

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The engineers are from Cornell University at New York and they sought to approach how robots were able to grasp objects, by incorporating sensors that were stretchable and carry signals by using light. You could think of these sensors as working in the same way as fibre optic wires, aside from the difference that these are much more stretchable. The technology, the Gentle Bot, was developed through funding from a grant that came from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and 
## the findings from their study were recently published in the well-known journal *Science Robotics*.

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In their studies, they used the technology to conduct a variety of active sensation experiments that they say were inspired by capabilities that real human hands have. One of the final tests they incorporated was that of testing the ripe tomato from three tomatoes that were available to examine. 

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Many robots that are currently on the market today, are developed with sensors on the outside of the body and that enables them to detect things on the surface. But these sensors are different in that they are integrated into the body, therefore they enable the robot to detect forces that are transmitted through the robot. However, the bot hand still has to be directly connected to the brain as it had been operated by using a computer. Researchers are looking forward to further research in this area and toward better developing this technology, so as to improve on appropriate robot touch sensation technology. 

Pics:
Cornell University College of Engineering/Huichan Zhao
shutterstock/belushi
robotics.sciencemag.org
Sources:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4024664/The-robot-human-touch-Optical-sensors-allow-machine-hand-sense-subtle-shapes-textures.html
http://robotics.sciencemag.org/content/1/1/eaai7529
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/33851/20161212/gentle-bot-researchers-develop-robot-human-touch.htm