Artificial touch helps robots be as sensitive as humans

Scientists have successfully developed an artificial tactile system that can be used in creating prosthetic hands, helping robots have the ability to feel like humans.

The research was conducted by scientists at Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet. Assistant Professor Libo Chen, who leads the research team, said they are working on developing a tactile system that can sense pain and temperature, as well as the material the hand is touching, such as a corpse. Determine whether it is wood or metal.

The artificial tactile system is made up of three main parts: an electronic skin (e-skin) containing sensors that sense force by touch, and an artificial nerve cell system that helps convert touch signals into electrical impulses. , a signal processor that processes and recognizes objects. This system has the ability to learn to recognize an infinite number of objects.

According to researchers, humans will interact with robots and prosthetic hands more safely and easily thanks to haptic feedback. In addition, the prosthetic hand will be able to manipulate objects as skillfully as a human hand.

"The electronic skin contains millions of receptors. At the moment, the electronic skin cannot provide enough receptors, but new technology will make this possible, so we want to create an artificial skin created for the entire robot body ," Chen said.

The radial artificial tactile network used in the hardware is made up of a series of receptors fabricated from hand-shaped polyimide film and PCB circuitry that converts signals into sequences. (Source: Science).

The haptic system could have medical applications, such as being used to monitor motor dysfunction caused by Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, or assisting patients with rehabilitation after a stroke.

"Our technology has the ability to identify objects as quickly as a blindfolded person, just by touching and feeling, we can determine whether an object is a tennis ball or an apple ," said Zhibin Zhang, assistant professor at the Department of Science and Technology. Electrical Engineering at Uppsala University said.

During the experiment, Zhang and his colleague Libo Chen collaborated with researchers with expertise in data processing and machine learning from the Department of Systems and Signals (Uppsala University), and a group of researcher from the Department of Neurobiology, Care and Social Sciences, Department of Neurology (Karolinska Institute).

Taking ideas from neuroscience, the research team developed an artificial tactile system that simulates the way the human nervous system responds to touch. This system uses electrical impulses to process information after each touch, similar to the human nervous system.

"This technology will help the wearer feel like the prosthetic hand is part of their own body," Zhang explained. The research team experimented using 22 different objects to grasp and 16 surfaces to feel.

Twenty-two subjects were used in the object classification test by grasping. (Source: Science)

According to research team member Zhang, the system can be further developed to predict when a patient is about to fall. The information is then used to activate an external agency to help prevent the patient from falling, or to notify an assistive device to prevent a fall.