If you were a tad freaked out by a robotic hand clothed in cucumbers, we promise this one's a bit tamer. A team of researchers at the University of Leeds have put forth a proposal to create an "artificial finger" in order to better understand why we react differently to different textures / surfaces. The finger will purportedly be used in testing rigs that "measure variables such as friction and compliance," and when combined with data from "a series of self-report experiments," the team aims to identity relationships between certain surface profiles and emotions. Of course, this kind of analysis would be a marketers dream come true, and let's face it, you know we couldn't resist picking up a Winnie the Pooh DAP that was inexplicably fuzzy.

[Via Core77]

It's been nearly three years since we first reported on printable circuit boards, but researchers in the UK are still working to hone the process. Leeds University's Seyed Bidoki was recently able to load a "standard Hewlett Packard inkjet printer with a solution of metal salts and water" and print out an actual electronic circuit. The mysterious "silver salt solution" and vitamin C mixture could be used to "pave the way for safer and cheaper electronics manufacturing," and moreover, this cheap and easy alternative should certainly be a hit with the environmentally conscience crowd. This method utilizes a water-soluble base, which differs from the less green solvents used in polymer ink / graphite paste varieties from before, but even individuals working with the project admit that ousting the current regime will be difficult. Still, the crew is pressing forward with this toxin-free approach, and hopes to elicit the help of "industrial jet printers" before long to speed things up.

You've got plenty of options when it comes to healing your own body, but patching up your domicile usually requires days of back-breaking labor and gobs of cash to boot. Thankfully, that awful process could be nearing its end, as a £9.5 million ($18.64 million) European Union-funded project sets out to develop self-healing walls for your average home. The idea is to develop "special walls for the house that contain nano polymer particles, which will turn into a liquid when squeezed under pressure, flow into the cracks, and then harden to form a solid material." The technology would prove quite useful in areas where earthquakes are prominent, and in an effort to test things out before shoving it out to contractors everywhere, a swank villa is being erected on a Greece mountainside to collect information. The house's walls will be built from "novel load bearing steel frames and high-strength gypsum board," but more importantly, they will contain a smorgasbord of wireless sensors and RFID tags meant to collect, store, and disseminate critical data regarding "any stresses and vibrations, temperature, humidity, and gas levels." Now, who's the lucky lad(s) that get to call this their home research dwelling?

[Via Physorg]