Robotic Membranes

the Takao Someya Group developed a synthetic “skin” that is almost as sensitive as our own skin. they are still working on it's sensitivity to temperature and humidity while trying to make it elastic like skin

http://www.ntech.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ http://www.trecc.org/research/tt_smart_skin.php

'Chang Liu of the University of Illinois is developing the polymer microfabrication technology needed for producing artificial sensitive skins–large area, flexible surfaces with integrated, distributed sensors and semiconductor, signal-processing electronic.'

http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=110&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=1161&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&sal=

'smart skin' is a new technology (still in research) intended to be integrated into clothing so it can monitor your health, sense touch and air-flow, and respond to heat - a “second skin”

http://www.infineon.com/cgi/ecrm.dll/jsp/showfrontend.do?lang=EN&news_nav_oid=-9979&content_type=NEWS&content_oid=57550

Reversable Piezorochromic + Thermochromic polymers

Lumenia Technology Ltd in 2001, with the aim of developing innovative colorants and ink materials

http://www.xennia.com/XenniaVensLumenia.htm http://www.xennia.com/default.htm

http://www.colour.leeds.ac.uk/

Biomimetic polymer, octopus skin! http://open.loop.ph/twiki/bin/view/Openloop/BioMimetics

http://www.nature.com/nsu/030106/030106-5.html

Colour change gels Polymer gel light-modulation materials imitating pigment cells

Reference: Akashi, R., Tsutsui, H. & Komura, A. Polymer gel light-modulation materials imitating pigment cells. Advanced Materials, 14, 1808 - 1811, (2002). Communication Polymer Gel Light-Modulation Materials Imitating Pigment Cells R. Akashi^ * , H. Tsutsui, A. Komura. Intelligent Devices Laboratory, Fuji Xerox Company Limited, 1600 Takematsu Minamiashigara, Kanagawa 250-0111, Japan