Communications of the ACM
The Sensitive Robot: How Haptic Technology Is Closing the Mechanical Gap
Haptics may allow robots to sense and identify the objects they touch.
Credit: Slate
As haptic technology advances with new sensors and feedback systems, robots might soon gain a sense of touch, further closing the gap between humans and machines. Haptic technology involves machines communicating through touch, with the most well-known example being a vibrating cellphone, and the principles are being extended to robotics.
Vibration, however, has not been an effective solution for tools such as Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci system, which allows surgeons to robotically manipulate a patient's tissue, because human nerves lose track of which vibrations are strongest. Cambridge Research & Development has created a prototype of a linear actuator called Neo, which is a headband-mounted mechanism that uses up and down motion instead of the circular motion used by most motors. When da Vinci instruments contact a patient, the Neo's small tactor applies pressure to the surgeon's head, with highly nuanced tactile feedback ranging from a light touch to indicate that a manipulator is touching tissue to a noticeable tap when sutures are removed.
Another haptic tool, the RIO surgical robot, is used by orthopedic surgeons for hip and knee procedures and applies pressure when a surgeon's hand goes off target, based on RIO's knowledge of patient CT scans.
From Slate
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