pre-touch
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Intel shows off robotic hand with "Pre Touch" object conformation
Robotics have come a long way, but they still often miss that innate, nervous sense of reluctant touch. Intel researchers have achieved something similar with a robotic hand that uses electrolocation to create a robotic hand conform to the shape of an object before interacting with it. Shown at Research@Intel Day, the hand uses fish-like electrolocation to bounce electric fields off of objects and then conform the hand to that shape in real time. They call the dynamic "Pre Touch," and it could prove useful for configuring robotics before they interact with objects without, say, damaging them or missing the interface completely. We've been aware of the technology for some time, but as you can see in the video after the break, Intel finally has something to show, and the results are what can only be described as a strangely nervous robotic hand.
Intel researchers give robotic hands more sense
While robotic hands typically have no trouble demolishing objects they grab, Intel researchers are looking to make these stereotypically brawny gizmos a bit more sensitive. The technology, dubbed pre-touch, incorporates sensors into a mechanical hand, which enables it to scan objects before it grabs them and react accordingly. Notably, the goal is to "improve the ability of robots to grasp objects in unstructured human environments," potentially making them more useful in the home. Go on, check out the video below -- it won't pinch.[Via The Raw Feed]Read - Robots that sense before they touchRead - Pre-touch video demonstration
