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Robotic hands so sensitive they can detect ripened fruit could be set to pave the way for a new generation of super-realistic prosthetic limbs.

Scientists at Cornell University in New York have been testing the new device - dubbed Gentle Bot - which they hope will be able to touch and manipulate fragile items as well as sense their shape and texture.

Researchers tested the robotic hand by running its fingers over three tomatoes and press them to find the ripe fruit in the bunch through their firmness.

It is hoped the technology could spell the future of prosthetic limbs, giving patients the chance to have more realistic limb replacements than ever before.

The technology works through optical waveguides which can sense their external environment through light signals they carry.

(Image: Cornell University)

As the hand meets pressure, its slightly deforms and loses light, which is detected and allows the robot to determine how firm and object is.

Speaking to NPR , Cornell PhD student Huichan Zhao, who led the work, said: "Our human hand is not functioning using motors to drive each of the joints; our human hand is soft with a lot of sensors ... on the surface and inside the hand.

(Image: Cornell University)

"Soft robotics provides a chance to make a soft hand that is more close to a human hand."

The technology, developed through a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research could also be combined with virtual reality to help surgeons train for simulation exercises.