Grip or slip: Robots need a human sense of touch

How can humans instantly estimate the slipperiness of a surface and adjust their grip, for instance, when picking up a wet glass? Researchers from Delft University of Technology have, together with French and Australian colleagues, demonstrated that a (radial) strain of the skin of the fingertip is involved in the perception of slipperiness during initial contact. Robotics could use this information, for instance to improve prosthetics and grippers. The results have been been published in PNAS.