欧洲多所高校的研究团队成功开发了一种高分辨率触觉传感器，分辨率达到100微米[1]。该传感器采用特殊的合成皮肤设计，通过Bragg反射器在受到机械变形时反射不同颜色的光，能够实时生成物体的拓扑、应变和接触压力映射图[1]。这一技术不存在计算延迟[1]。
该研究由来自伦敦玛丽皇后大学、佛罗伦萨大学、的里雅斯特大学和特伦托大学的科研人员共同完成[1]。传感器设计者Giacomo Sasso使用5兆瓦、635纳米的红色激光照射7分钟来创建Bragg反射器[1]。Bragg反射器的工作原理是：激光在光敏膜上产生干涉图案，导致聚合物以交替密度聚合，形成具有不同折射率的层[1]。
在触觉映射中，颜色变化直观表示变形程度，从红色代表最小变形，逐渐过渡到绿色再到蓝色表示最大变形[1]。研究团队已将该传感器用于映射人类指尖、硬币和叶片等物体[1]。
A research team from across Europe has created an advanced tactile sensor capable of achieving 100 micrometer resolution without computational delay [1]. The innovative device employs a synthetic skin that uses Bragg reflectors to generate real-time mappings of object topology, strain, and contact pressure by reflecting different colors of light in response to mechanical deformation [1].
The sensor operates through a specialized optical mechanism in which a laser produces an interference pattern on a photosensitive film, causing the polymer to polymerize in alternating densities and form layers with different refractive indices [1]. Researchers from Queen Mary University of London, the University of Florence, the University of Trieste, and the University of Trento collaborated on the technology [1]. Giacomo Sasso, the sensor's designer, used a five-megawatt, 635-nanometer red laser directed for seven minutes to create the Bragg reflector [1].
The tactile mapping capability translates mechanical deformation into a color gradient, progressing from red for minimal deformation through green to blue for maximum deformation [1]. The research team has successfully demonstrated the sensor's effectiveness by mapping the surfaces of human fingertips, coins, and leaves [1].