A breakthrough by a team of scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel could lead to “artificial skin” that senses touch, humidity, and temperature. Kevin Hattori reported the story at The American Technion Society web site. This is just one more step closer to the merger between biological and non-biological beings — but that is a longer story for another time. The Israeli researchers used tiny gold particles and a kind of resin to make a new kind of flexible sensor that someday become integrated into electronic skin — e-skin. The potential use and benefits are significant. For example, if scientists learn how to attach e-skin to prosthetic limbs, people with amputations might once again be able to feel changes in their environments that they had lost. Current e-skin can only detect touch, while the Israeli team’s invention “can simultaneously sense touch, humidity, and temperature, as real skin can do,” says research team leader Professor Hossam Haick.