英国研发新型机器人皮肤

Core Insights - Researchers from Cambridge University and University College London have developed a new type of robotic skin made from soft and low-cost gel materials that can sense pressure and temperature, and distinguish multiple contact points, enabling robots to gather environmental information similarly to humans [1][2] Group 1: Technology Development - The flexible conductive skin is easy to manufacture and can be melted and reshaped into various complex forms, allowing for meaningful interaction with the physical world [1] - The solution employs a single sensor that responds differently to various tactile stimuli, known as multimodal perception, which, despite challenges in isolating signal sources, is easier to manufacture and more durable [1] Group 2: Testing and Applications - Various tactile tests were conducted, including heating with a heat gun, pressing with human fingers and robotic arms, light touches, and even cutting with a scalpel, with data collected used to train a machine learning model for recognizing different tactile meanings [2] - Although the robotic skin's sensitivity does not yet match that of human skin, it surpasses existing technologies in flexibility and ease of manufacturing, allowing for human tactile calibration for various tasks [2] - Future applications of this robotic skin include humanoid robots, prosthetics requiring tactile sensing, and potential uses in industries such as automotive manufacturing and disaster relief [2]