What should be the characteristics of a artificial skin Able to help a robot to perceive sensations, as well as to cover prostheses in case of amputation of the hand? Basically that it is easy to produce, of limited and extremely efficient cost in tactile sensations.
Even if it may seem science fiction, you are getting closer and closer to this result. Among the different prototypes Realized and in the study phase, in this sense, what was presented in a research that appeared on Science Robotics, the result of the work of the experts of the University of Cambridge and the University College (UCL) in London. The study has the main author David Hardman of the Cambridge engineering department and as co -author Thomas George Thuruthel of the UCL.
How artificial skin works
Basically this device can be applied to robotic hands such as a gloveallowing robots to detect information on the surrounding environment in a similar way to the human environment. It is a prototype that for its characteristics can be modeled in a wide range of complex shapes and is able to identify and therefore process physical indications.
The novelty of this prototype is simple. While other tact supports work with sensors integrated in small areas and require different “receivers” capable of receiving specific stimuli, in this case practically the entire structure works as a single sensor. While robotic skin It is not as sensitive as the human one, it is able to detect signals from beyond 860,000 tiny sensory paths In the material, allowing it to recognize different types of touch and pressure – such as the touch of a finger, a hot or cold surface, damage caused by cuts or stings, or the simultaneous contact of multiple points – in a single material.
What the tests say
In the prototype presented in the research, a sensor capable of reacting differently to different types of touch is used, in what is defined multimodal detection. The researchers merged a hydrogel based on gelatin, soft, elastic and electrically conductive, and gave it the shape of a human hand. They tested a series of different electrodes configurations to determine which ones provided them the most useful information on the different types of touch. With only 32 electrodes positioned on the wrist, they were able to collect over 1.7 million information On the whole hand, thanks to the tiny traveled in the conductive material.
The skin was then tested with different types of touch: the researchers exposed it to a jet of hot air with a thermal gun, they pressed it with their fingers and a robotic arm, they touched her gently with their fingers and even cut it with a scalpel. The team then used the data collected during these tests to train a Automatic learning model so that the hand recognized the meaning of the different types of touch.
The role of AI and the future
As a note from the English University explains, some physical tests have already been carried out which, together with automatic learning techniques, have put this artificial structure capable of Learn the most significant perceptual pathsthus teaching to perceive different types of contact in a more efficient way.
In addition to the potential future applications for Humanoid robots or human prosthesis In which the sense of touch is vital, researchers say that robotic skin could be useful in different sectors such as the automotive sector or rescued in the event of calamity. The research, in any case, makes hope of exceed the limits of the electronic skin who work by converting physical information, such as pressure or temperature, in electronic signals.
In most cases, different types of sensors are needed for different types of touch: one type to detect pressure, another for the temperature and so on, which are then integrated into soft and flexible materials. However, the signals from these different sensors can interfere with each other and the materials are easily damaged.
“Having different sensors for different types of touch leads to complex materials to be made. We wanted to develop a solution capable of detecting more types of touch simultaneously, but in a single material”
Report in a Hardman note.
All this, as Thomas George Thuruthel of the UCL points out, makes hope for the future. Even if we are only at the beginning.
“We are not yet to the point where robotic skin is as valid as the human one: our method is flexible and easier to make compared to traditional sensors, and we are able to calibrate it using the human touch for a wide range of tasks”
Report the expert.
