Even though our fingers are precision instruments, they are not sensitive enough to detect several other things.
(http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn22162/dn22162-1_300.jpg)
image: John Rogers
A flexible circuit that can be worn over the fingertips designed by John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and colleagues, seems to be a good adjustment of the touch sense.
It contains layers of gold electrodes just a few hundred nanometres thick, sandwiched between layers of polyimide plastic to form a "nanomembrane". This is mounted on a finger-shaped tube of silicone rubber, allowing one side of the circuit to be in direct contact with the fingertips. On the other side, sensors can be added to measure pressure, temperature or electrical properties such as resistance.
People wearing the device receive electrotactile stimulation – a tingling sensation caused by a small voltage applied to the skin. The size of the voltage is controlled by the sensor and varies depending on the properties of the object being touched.
Surgical gloves are one potential application. Other than surgical applications, numerous applications exist like running animal trials of a nanomembrane "sock" that can be wrapped around the heart.This provides a 3D map of its electrical activity, useful in treating irregular heartbeat.
ref: newscientist