Peratech has been commissioned by the MIT Media Lab to develop a type of touch-sensitive electronic material for use in robotic devices.
The aim, said the company, is to allow robots to detect not only that they have been touched but also where and how hard.
Peratech's patented QTC's or Quantum Tunnelling Composites, are materials which provide a measured response to force and/or touch by changing its electrical resistance - much as a dimmer light switch controls a light bulb.
“This enables a simple electronic circuit within the robot to determine touch,” said the company.
Also by using the UK firm’s xy scanning technology, the robot is able to detect where on a matrix of sensors applied to areas such as the forearms, shoulders and torso, it has been touched.
This MIT research project is hoped to produce results which could soon be applied to a range of robotics projects.
Peratech's QTC technology has already been used by NASA for their Robonaut device and by Shadow Robot in the UK.