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Zhenan Bao: On a quest to develop artificial skin

A team of engineers works on a material that can flex like skin, transmit sensory data to the brain and restore a sense of
touch.

Stanford chemical engineering Professor Zhenan Bao has spent a decade trying to develop materials that can flex and heal like skin, and also serve as the sensor net sending touch, temperature and pain signals to the brain. In a scientific journal, Bao’s team recently demonstrated a first — a skin-like material that could detect pressure and transmit signals to nerve cells. In this video, Bao shares how her team’s research could improve our ability to monitor health and potentially add a sense of touch to prosthetic limbs.

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