Researchers at the University of Houston have created an artificial skin that allows a robotic hand to sense the difference between heat and cold.

The research is the first to create a semiconductor with a rubber composite, which would allow it to still work when stretched by as much as 50%.

The discovery of stretchable electronics could have a significant impact in the wearables market, with devices such as health monitors or biomedical devices, says Cunjiang Yu, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Houston and the lead author for the paper.

When the stretchable electronic skin was applied to a robotic hand, it could tell the difference between hot and cold water. The skin also allowed the hand to interpret computer signals and recreate them in sign language.

"Our strategy has advantages for simple fabrication, scalable manufacturing, high-density integration, large strain tolerance and low cost," Yu said in a statement.

The research was published online last week in the journal Science Advances.

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