A scene from The Empire Strikes Back inspired the lead researcher at the National University of Singapore to create an electronic skin that can feel. Scientists at a top Singapore university say they have built an electronic skin that can be used in robots and prosthetic limbs to recreate a sense of touch that is similar to human touch.

The electronic skin, known as known as Asynchronous Coded Electronic Skin (ACES), is made up of a network of sensors connected with a single electrical conductor. It can be used in robots or prosthetic limbs to recreate a sense of touch that feels pain, temperature, shape and texture, according to the team of scientists at the National University of Singapore.