Ritsumeikan University researchers develop a soft robotic microfinger that enables interaction with insects through tactile sensing
Human-robot interactions not only allow robots to interact with humans but also with the environment. Microrobots, for instance, can interact with insects and measure the force exerted by them during flight or walking.
However, this interaction is not direct, with the microrobots measuring insect behavior primarily. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a soft micro-robotic finger that allows humans to directly interact with insects. This could enable human-environment interaction at previously inaccessible scales.
Humans have always been fascinated by scales different than theirs, from giant objects such as stars, planets and galaxies, to the world of the tiny: insects, bacteria, viruses and other microscopic objects. While the microscope allows us to view and observe the microscopic world, it is still difficult to interact with it directly. [Read more…] about Ritsumeikan University develops ‘soft microfingers’ for robots
