Inspired by the effortless way humans handle objects without seeing them, a team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a new approach that enables a robotic hand to rotate objects solely through touch, without relying on vision. Using their technique, the researchers built a robotic hand that can smoothly rotate a wide array of objects, from small toys, cans, and even fruits and vegetables, without bruising or squishing them. The robotic hand accomplished these tasks using only information based on touch. The work could aid in the development of robots that can manipulate objects in the dark.
To build their system, the researchers attached 16 touch sensors to the palm and fingers of a four-fingered robotic hand. Each sensor costs about $12 and serves a simple function: detect whether an object is touching it or not. What makes this approach unique is that it relies on many low-cost, low-resolution touch sensors that use simple, binary signals (touch or no touch) to perform robotic in-hand rotation. These sensors are spread over a large area of the robotic hand. This contrasts with a variety of other approaches that rely on a few high-cost, high-resolution touch sensors affixed to a small area of the robotic hand, primarily at the fingertips.
More information:
https://today.ucsd.edu/story/robotic-hand-rotates-objects-using-touch-not-vision