Researchers Develop Neuromorphic ‘E-Skin’ to Give Humanoid Robots Pain Reflexes

A new neuromorphic “electronic skin” developed by scientists in Hong Kong brings robots closer to human-like touch and pain perception. The layered e-skin converts pressure into neural-style pulses, distinguishing gentle contact from harmful force. When pressure exceeds a pain threshold, the system bypasses the main processor to trigger instant reflexes, protecting the robot from damage. The skin can also detect when it is torn and allows damaged sections to be quickly replaced, paving the way for safer, more empathetic human–robot interactions.