Thin, prong Fifa 14 Ultimate Team Coins like sensors are formed from high-aspect elasticfibres painted with composite films of carbon nanotubes and silvernanoparticles. The nanotubes Fut Coins form a bendable conductive network andthe nanoparticles make the whiskers sensitive to mechanical strain.The "e-whiskers" are then able to respond to levels of pressuresimilar to that of placing a bank note upon a table.
"In tests, these whiskers were ten times more sensitive topressure than all previously reported capacitive or resistivepressure sensors," says Ali Javey, lead author of the paperdetailing the development of the whiskers, which is published inthe journal PNAS today. Javey and his team have beeninvolved in some time in developing flexible, sensitive materialsbased on biomimcry, including artificial "e-skin"for robotic limbs.
According to Javey, the whiskers can be easily integrated intodifferent "user-interactive system" and along with his team heused th as proof as concept in the 2D and 3D mapping of windflow. They could potentially be used to help robots with theirspatial awareness, giving th the ability to accurately map theirenvironment by sensing nearby objects. Another potential useidentified for the whiskers is in wearable tech.