Smart foam material gives robotic hand the ability to self-repair

Reuters

By Travis TeoLee Ying Shan

July 6, 2021

SINGAPORE, July 6 (Reuters) – Singapore researchers have developed a smart foam material that allows robots to sense nearby objects, and repairs itself when damaged, just like human skin.

Artificially innervated foam, or AiFoam, is a highly elastic polymer created by mixing fluoropolymer with a compound that lowers surface tension.

This allows the spongy material to fuse easily into one piece when cut, according to the researchers at the National University of Singapore.

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