The TERN Project
TERN: Three-dimensional force and temperature sensing skins. Funded by ARIA.
Today’s robots often struggle with delicate tasks due to limited tactile feedback. We are developing next-generation electronic skin (e-skin) to equip robots with human-like touch perception. Our multiscale structured design enables real-time, high-resolution 3D sensing of force magnitude and direction, temperature, texture, sliding, and surface stiffness with unprecedented dexterity and precision. By introducing this advanced level of tactile sensing, our e-skin addresses a fundamental gap in current robotic capabilities. It enhances robotic perception and human-robot collaboration, unlocking new applications in surgical robotics, agriculture, precision manufacturing, and AI-driven automation. Supported by ARIA’s Robot Dexterity programme, the project advances both foundational research and early translational development, aiming to elevate the technology from TRL 3 to TRL 6 through performance optimisation, system integration, and industrial validation.
