Columbia university engineers design a robot hand (video below) that is the first device of its kind to join advanced sense of touch with motor-learning algorithms – it doesn’t rely on vision to manipulate objects
Think about what you do with your hands when you’re home at night pushing buttons on your TV’s remote control, or at a restaurant using all kinds of cutlery and glassware.
These skills are all based on touch, while you’re watching a TV program or choosing something from the menu. Our hands and fingers are incredibly skilled mechanisms, and highly sensitive to boot.
Robotics researchers have long been trying to create “true” dexterity in robot hands, but the goal has been frustratingly elusive. Robot grippers and suction cups can pick and place items, but more dexterous tasks such as assembly, insertion, reorientation, packaging and so on have remained in the realm of human manipulation. [Read more…] about Columbia scientists build ‘highly dexterous robot hand that can operate in the dark – just like humans’
