The "skin-like" sensor unveiled by Stanford University scientists can "feel" pressure just like human skin - but is far, far tougher.

斯坦福大學的科學家近日公開了他們研制的“人造皮膚”傳感器，它能像人類的皮膚那樣感受壓力——但要柔韌得多。

 

It could be used for advanced prosthetic limbs - or to create robots that can "feel" a touch.

它可以用于制作先進的假肢——或者是制造可以“感覺”到觸摸的機器人。

 

The "super skin" can be stretched out to twice its length and snap back without any harm.

這種“超級皮膚”可以拉伸到它本身長度的兩倍，放開后能夠毫無損害地完全恢復。

 

Inside are tiny "springs" made of carbon nanotubes - minuscule hair-like filaments - that can "sense" pressure from a slight pinch up to the equivalent of two elephants stepping on top of the sensor.

傳感器內部是由碳納米管制成的微型“彈簧”——非常細小，像頭發絲一樣——能夠感知不同的壓力，小到輕輕地捏一下，大到相當于兩頭大象站在頂上。

 

The highly conductive nanotubes can be stretched in any direction, but still send electrical information - which could be fed back to a robot brain or to a patient.

這種導電率很高的納米管能夠向著任意方向拉伸，并仍能保證電子信息的傳輸——這些信息會反饋到機器人的大腦里或是反饋給病人。

 

Even huge amounts of pressure don't permanently damage the sensor, created by Stanford associate professor Dr Zhenan Bao's team.

“人造皮膚”是由斯坦福大學副教授鮑哲南（音譯）博士領導的研究團隊研發出來的，即使是很大的壓力也不會對它造成永久性的損害。

 

The sensitive "film" of carbon nanotubes is completely transparent. It's created by spraying carbon nanotubes - tiny tubes of carbon atoms where the walls are a single layer of carbon - onto silicone.

這種靈敏的碳納米管“薄膜”完全是透明的。它是用碳納米管——微小的單壁碳納米管——噴灑在硅酮上制造而成的。

 

When the carbon nanotubes are sprayed onto silicone, the substance lands randomly, but when stretched out, the nanotubes form into lines across the substance. When the pressure is released, they coil up like springs.

碳納米管被噴灑在硅酮上時是隨意分布的，但當它被拉伸的時候，納米管會順著拉伸物體排列成線型。壓力釋放后，它們就會像彈簧那樣盤成圈狀。

 

The researchers found that if they stretched out the substance in a second direction perpendicular to the first, it could then be stretched in any direction without harm.

研究人員發現，如果向著第一次拉伸的垂直方向拉扯，它仍然能夠向著任何方向毫無損害地任意伸展。