This grain-sized device uses a single optical signal to simultaneously detect force and twisting in all directions, which could improve precision in robotics and medical instruments. The sensor uses a soft elastomer tip that deforms slightly when it contacts an object, which then forms a light pattern that travels through a coherent fiber bundle to a camera that captures the pattern as an image. By helping robotic tools and medical devices "feel" what they are touching, the #technology could support tactile guidance and mechanical mapping in minimally invasive interventions. sjtu_1896 #Medicine #Robotics #MinimallyInvasive