Tech Briefs Magazine - December 2023 - MD-17

In addition to PET, which is the main
material used by the research team, the
gripper can also be made of various materials
such as rubber and compounds
that possess elasticity, allowing the team
to customize and utilize grippers suitable
for industrial and logistics sites that
require strong gripping performance or
various environments that need to withstand
extreme conditions.
" The woven structure gripper developed
by KIST and KAIST has the
strengths of a soft robot but can grasp
heavy objects at the level of a rigid
gripper, " said Dr. Song. It can be manufactured
in a variety of sizes, from
coins to cars, and can grip objects of
various shapes and weights, from thin
cards to flowers, so it is expected to be
used in fields such as industry, logistics,
and housework that require soft
grippers. "
For more information, contact
Eunhye Bae at eunae@nst.re.kr.
Smart Soft Sensor Improves Human-Robot Interaction
When applied to the surface of a robotic limb, the sensor skin provides touch sensitivity and
dexterity, enabling tasks that can be difficult for machines.
University of British Columbia, United Kingdom
A
new soft sensor developed by UBC
and Honda researchers opens the
door to a wide range of applications in
robotics and prosthetics. When applied
to the surface of a prosthetic arm or a
robotic limb, the sensor skin provides
touch sensitivity and dexterity, enabling
tasks that can be difficult for machines
such as picking up a piece of soft fruit.
The sensor is also soft to the touch, like
human skin, which helps make human
interactions safer and more lifelike.
" Our sensor can sense several types of
forces, allowing a prosthetic or robotic
arm to respond to tactile stimuli with
dexterity and precision. For instance,
the arm can hold fragile objects like an
egg or a glass of water without crushing
or dropping them, " said study author Dr.
Mirza Saquib Sarwar, who created the
sensor as part of his PhD work in electrical
and computer engineering at UBC's
faculty of applied science.
The sensor is primarily composed of
silicone rubber, the same material used
to make many skin special effects in
movies. The team's unique design gives
it the ability to buckle and wrinkle, just
like human skin.
" Our sensor uses weak electric fields to
sense objects, even at a distance, much as
touchscreens do. But unlike touchscreens,
this sensor is supple and can detect forces
into and along its surface. This unique
combination is key to adoption of the
technology for robots that are in contact
with people, " explained Dr. John Madden,
senior study author and Professor of
Electrical and Computer Engineering
who leads the Advanced Materials and
Process Engineering Laboratory (AMPEL)
at UBC.
Motion Design, December 2023
UBC engineers created the sensor in collaboration with Frontier Robotics, Honda's research institute. (Image:
UBC Applied Science/Paul Joseph)
The UBC team developed the technolresearch
institute.
ogy in collaboration with Frontier
Robotics, Honda's
Honda has been innovating in humanoid
robotics since the 1980s, and developed
the well-known ASIMO robot. It has also
developed devices to assist walking, and
the emerging Honda Avatar Robot.
" Dr. Madden's lab has significant expertise
in flexible sensors and we're
happy to collaborate with this team in
developing tactile sensors that can be
applied to robots, " said Mr. Ishizaki
Ryusuke, one of the study's lead authors
and chief engineer at Frontier Robotics.
According to the researchers, the new
sensor is simple to fabricate, which
makes it easy to scale to cover large surface
areas and to manufacture large
quantities.
Dr. Madden noted that sensors and
intelligence are making machines more
capable and lifelike, increasingly allowing
people to work and play alongside
them, but much more can be achieved.
" Human skin has a hundred times
more sensing points on a fingertip than
our technology does, making it easier to
light a match or sew. As sensors continue
to evolve to be more skin-like, and can
also detect temperature and even damage,
there is a need for robots to be
smarter about which sensors to pay attention
to and how to respond.
Developments in sensors and artificial
intelligence will need to go hand in
hand. "
Corpuz-Bosshart at
ca; 604-822-2048.
For more information, contact Lou
lou.bosshart@ubc.
17

Tech Briefs Magazine - December 2023

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