Researchers have developed a haptic device capable of reproducing the softness of various materials, from a marshmallow to a beating heart, overcoming a deceptively complex challenge that has previously eluded roboticists.
The perception of softness can be taken for granted, but it plays a crucial role in many actions and interactions -- from judging the ripeness of an avocado to conducting a medical exam, or holding the hand of a loved one. But understanding and reproducing softness perception is challenging, because it involves so many sensory and cognitive processes.
With SORI , the RRL, led by Jamie Paik, has achieved just that. By decoupling cutaneous and kinesthetic cues, SORI faithfully recreate the softness of a range of real materials, filling a gap in the robotics field enabling many applications where softness sensation is critical -- from deep-sea exploration to robot-assisted surgery.
With this novel decoupling of kinesthetic and cutaneous functionality, SORI succeeded in recreating the softness of a range of materials -- including beef, salmon, and marshmallow -- over the course of several experiments with two human volunteers. It also mimicked materials with both soft and firm attributes . In one virtual experiment, SORI even reproduced the sensation of a beating heart, to demonstrate its efficacy at rendering soft materials in motion.
"This is not intended to act as a softness sensor for robots, but to transfer the feeling of 'touch' digitally, just like sending photos or music," Mete summarizes.Chicago
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