Friday, 8th September 2006 (4342 views)

Scientists have used gold nanoparticles to develop a touch sensor that is as sensitive as a human finger, the Times reports.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska in the US developed a device that is so sensitive that it can detect the outline of Abraham Lincoln's face on a one cent coin. This could prove to be crucial in the advancement of robotic surgery and other scientific applications, such as space travel.

The sensor was made using alternating layers of gold and cadmium sulphide nanoparticles, bounded by a plastic and glass sheet. When an image is placed on the plastic, a sensor detects the changes in the electrical current caused in the nanoparticles.

Objects with a more defined shape will cause a greater electrical charge and can thus be differentiated.

"Variation in stress distribution caused by the embossing on a one cent coin leads to significant change in local current density," said scientists Vivek Maheshwari and Ravi Saraf.

The sensor is the latest development in the science of gold nanoparticles, which has also witnessed advancements in the treatment of cancer.

 

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