Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have developed a new robotic arm capable of sensing touch along its length and interacting with surrounding objects, automatically adjusting its movement upon contact with obstacles, in a step aimed at enhancing robots' ability to handle their environment with precision and safety.
The scientific website Tech Explorer reported on Saturday that the robotic arm, named "EmArm," combines a rigid mechanical structure with a soft tactile layer equipped with precise cameras, enabling the detection of contact points and the determination of pressure distribution along its upper and lower sections. The study results were published in the scientific journal Nature Sensors.
Researchers covered the arm with a soft tactile layer exceeding 71,000 square millimeters in area, incorporating small cameras that analyze changes resulting from pressure and contact, providing information on the location and intensity of touch, thereby helping the system determine the appropriate response.
Tests showed that the arm achieved a touch sensing accuracy of 97.9 percent, despite exposure to five types of environmental stimuli, and managed to withstand pressure loads exceeding 15 kilograms while maintaining movement precision.
Researchers linked the sensing system to a motion control mechanism, allowing for the analysis of contact information and real-time adjustment of the arm's movement. For instance, when carrying an unbalanced basketball, it can change its posture and distribute force to maintain the ball's stability.
In human interaction experiments, the arm successfully distinguished between five types of touch, including stroking, pinching, poking, tickling, and hitting, with an accuracy of 99.8 percent. The system was also designed to display expressive responses mimicking states such as happiness, sadness, curiosity, shyness, and anger.
Other experiments demonstrated the arm's ability to detect obstacles entering its path through touch, even when they are not visible. It can stop and replan its path to bypass obstacles, enhancing its ability to move safely in environments requiring interaction with people and objects.
This technology may pave the way for developing robots more capable of interacting with their surroundings in homes, industrial facilities, and medical assistance fields, with the potential to expand the sensing system in the future to include other parts of the robot's body.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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