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Robots Need A Better Sense Of Touch
Robots need to be able to feel and touch, not just see their way around so they don't bump into anything - or anyone.
The sense of touch is fundamental to how we interact with the world. But the most exciting developments in robotics continue to focus primarily on vision. I spent the last four years trying to understand why. And we might have found a pretty good fix.
— Raunaq Bhirangi (@Raunaqmb) September 19, 2024
Introducing AnySkin pic.twitter.com/471cBSpBd2
(Touchy Feely robot skin)
If you're not convinced, consider the following description of an "automatic massager," a fictional robot from A.E. van Vogt's 1944 story Far Centaurus. In the novel, the problem to be solved is that of being asleep for decades while traveling between the stars: what sort of machines will help keep them healthy?
Slowly, I pushed my hand toward the edge of the bed. Click! My fingers pressed the button that was there. There was a faint hum. The automatic massager began to fumble gently over my naked form.First, it rubbed my arms; then it moved to my legs and so on over my body. As it progressed, I could feel the fine slick of oil that oozed from it working into my dry skin...
(Read more about the automatic massager)
To make a robot like this possible, it needs to be able to feel your skin and sense your responses.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 9/19/2024)
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