A research team based in Europe has designed a robotic fingertip that can sense the texture and shape of objects with high resolution sensing. The fingertip uses a Bragg reflector, which reflects specific wavelengths of light depending on density and shapes, allowing the fingertip to detect objects based on colors. Red represents the least deformation on a material, shifting from green to blue for the most deformation. A LED light inside the finger bounces back color wavelengths to the camera depending on a level of deformation. With their breakthrough into new sensor technology, the researchers plan to improve the sensor to objects not lying on a flat surface, possibly opening the technology to use with surgical instruments.