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Scientists have discovered a way to give robots a sense of touch without the need for expensive artificial skin.
Instead, a team from the German Aerospace Center used artificial intelligence to interpret the signals from a robot’s internal sensors and thus precisely detect external forces and pressures.
The researchers said the new approach would eliminate the need for expensive biometric cases and sensors while enabling a “shift from conventional modalities toward adaptability, flexibility and intuitive handling.”
A concept developed by the team includes virtual buttons, switches and sliders that can be freely placed, moved and configured anywhere on the robot structure.
The design allowed the robot to detect physical interactions without the need for special touch sensors.
Thanks to the accuracy of machine learning algorithms, the robot was even able to detect when numbers were traced on its surface, potentially opening up entirely new possibilities for human-robot interaction.
“We were able to let the robot sensitively sense its surroundings and precisely localize the trajectories of human touch on its surface in space and time,” the researchers wrote in a study detailing the technological advances.
“This opens up unprecedented possibilities for intuitive and flexible interaction between humans and robots.
“The intrinsic sense of touch we have proposed in this work can serve as the basis for an advanced category of physical human-robot interaction that was not previously possible, enabling a transition from conventional modalities toward adaptability, flexibility and intuitive handling.”
The study entitled “Intrinsic sense of touch for intuitive physical human-robot interaction” was published in the journal Science Robotics on Wednesday.
