Hairy Bots

Hair. Everyone has it, whether you like it or not. Hair allows us to feel the smallest things such as a warm summer breeze. For most animals hair (fur) is also a necessity to keep them warm from the cold. However, just like humans, certain hairs, like the whiskers of a cat have an important function to help them understand their environment. Though in some cases hair might be in the way of something. Take for example, speed skating, hair becomes a factor that is unwanted because hair creates friction that can cause slower times. Of course we have created special skinsuits to help us with this problem and tuck the hair away.

But what do you do when you’re not given an option, what if you go bald at an early age? Recent years have made way for robotic implementations of hair transplants. However, there’s still a discussion whether a normal operation or one with a robot is better.

Now let’s think of robots or toys (which is what they used to call them), such as Furby’s and Furreal Friends. In recent years scientists have developed hair or skin for robots that are extremely sensitive. They are so sensitive that it opens up possibilities for future robotics and prosthetics to help with tasks that need more precision.