Science News Roundup: Smart foam material gives robotic hand the ability to self-repair; Family of Indian-American astronaut on Virgin Galactic crew "happy and overwhelmed"

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Smart foam material gives robotic hand the ability to self-repair

Singapore researchers have developed a smart foam material that allows robots to sense nearby objects, and repairs itself when damaged, just like human skin. Artificially innervated foam, or AiFoam, is a highly elastic polymer created by mixing fluoropolymer with a compound that lowers surface tension.

Family of Indian-American astronaut on Virgin Galactic crew "happy and overwhelmed"

The grandfather of an Indian-American astronaut said he was "overwhelmed with joy" as she prepares to become only the second Indian-born woman to visit space. Sirisha Bandla, 33, who was born in Guntur district of India's southern Andhra Pradesh state, will be a part of billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic's test flight on July 11 that will travel beyond the edge of the earth's atmosphere.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)