Softer than humans? Soft robot that recognizes the sense of touch

CSAIL, a research institute for computer science and artificial intelligence under MIT, has developed two robotic arms that can control pressure by detecting objects using tactile sensors. Accordingly, it is expected that soft robots, a new field of robotics using flexible materials, will develop.

The first robot arm developed this time is a magic ball gripper that takes the shape of a triangular package that extends the base of the hand. This robotic arm holds the object by contracting it tightly when the balloon is placed on an object. The robot arm is equipped with a sensor that detects force and deformation, and it receives feedback from this sensor and adjusts the force to hold a variety of objects, including heavy bottles and fragile potato chips. In the future, the development team will use this sensor to develop a sensitive skin.

The second robotic arm is GelFlex, which recognizes the rigidity of an object by detecting the arm condition through a camera. Through the image of the camera mounted on the arm, it is possible to properly maintain fragile objects by guessing the state of the arm’s refraction and the size and shape of the object. The sensor that measures the degree of bending of the finger is quite accurate and the error is less than 0.77mm on average. It is said to be more accurate than human fingers. Of the 80 tests, only 3 times the shape of the object was recognized incorrectly. The development team plans to develop a sensor that can further complicate the number and structure of fingers and respond.

The research team is saying that it wants to develop a robot that can feel the world and see the world through it. Related information can be found here .