Robot Sweaters Can Feel Human Touch

Tech 2023-06-02 08:48:07 Source: Network

Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, June 1st (Reporter Zhang Mengran) - The Institute of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States has developed a "robot sweater", which is a woven textile "skin" that can sense contact and pressure. The research results will be presented at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in 2023

Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, June 1st (Reporter Zhang Mengran) - The Institute of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States has developed a "robot sweater", which is a woven textile "skin" that can sense contact and pressure. The research results will be presented at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in 2023.

Knitting machines can transform yarn patterns into non flat shapes, which can be curved or blocky. Inspired by this, researchers envision creating sensors suitable for curved or blocky robots. It can be used to help robots' feel 'human touch, especially in safety conscious industrial environments.

The knitted fabric of the "robot sweater" consists of two layers of conductive yarn made of metal fibers, sandwiched between them is a mesh like lace pattern layer. When pressure is applied to the fabric, such as when someone touches it, the conductive yarn will close the circuit and be read by the sensor.

In addition to designing the knitted layer, the team also faces the challenge of connecting wiring and electronic components to soft textiles. The effective method adopted by researchers is to wrap wires around the snap buttons at the ends of each stripe in knitted fabric, which is considered a cost-effective solution.

After being installed on the robot, the "robot sweater" can perceive the distribution, shape, and force of contact, and is more accurate and effective than the visual sensors that most robots rely on today.

The team proved that pushing a companion robot equipped with a "robot sweater" can tell it which direction to move or turn its head in. When used on a robot arm, a "robot sweater" allows human hands to push to guide arm movement.

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