A lot of challenges need to be met before robots will become available for consumers. However, thanks to the hard work scientists, the fear that robots can easily harm us with their metal hands will gradually become unfounded. They have developed a robot hand with a human-like touch.
Researchers from the Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, have revealed in their study, published in the journal Science Robotics, that they developed a robot hand with sensitive and soft touch known as the Gentle Bot. The robot hand is able to touch and manipulate fragile items as well as being able to sense their shape and texture.
The lead author of the article, Huichan Zhao, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering, has revealed that their Gentle Bot is not using motors to power the joints. Instead, the robot hand is soft and comes equipped with many sensors, both outside and inside it. This invention will allow developers to close the gap between human and robot hands.
A cruder version of the soft robotic technology is already in use in warehouses where they have to handle food and other types of fragile products. The novel aspect of the scientists’ invention is that it is able to handle even more delicate items than ever before. Although the technology requires further research, it holds the potential for various applications in robotics, allowing them to safely interact with humans, as well as in other fields like prosthetics.
Before this invention, robots could only detect the items they were holding if they conducted electricity. Thanks to the technology demonstrated by the Gentle Bot, for the soft robot hand to sense the items, they only need to conduct light. This is due to the fact that the robot hand is equipped stretchy optical waveguides with LEDS built-in. This sensor is able to detect any small alterations in the amount of the light that goes into the device, acting similar to nerves.
The Gentle Bot also has the added benefit of being cheaper to make. Robot hands which rely on light signals rather than electricity can be produced with cheaper materials. This, in turn, could lower the cost of all of its applications, from robots to prosthetics.
Image credit: Huichan Zhao/Organic Robotics Lab, Cornell University