Touch and grip, Jennifer Langston writes, is all about shear forces and small vibrations. University of Washington scientists and engineers are designing flexible, electronic skin that detects slipping over a surface or grasping an object, Jennifer writes in UW News. Robots need these senses for tasks such as manipulating wires when disabling bombs. The technology could also improve prosthetics hands for humans. Follow @langstonjen. image: Dominik Scythe