Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered an impressive way to make robotic arms gentler – all thanks to the humble sponge!
You might wonder what a sponge has to do with robots.
It turns out, a special kind of sponge called a silicone sponge could make stiff robots act more like us humans.
This is particularly useful when robots need to handle delicate things like eggs, which can be tricky due to the robot’s naturally rigid touch.
It’s pretty common knowledge that robots can perform impressive acrobatics like somersaults and high jumps.
But when it comes to careful tasks, such as holding a fragile egg without breaking it, they often fail. This is where the silicone sponge comes into play.
Tianqi Yue, the lead author of the study and a researcher from the Department of Engineering Mathematics at the University of Bristol, explains that the flexibility or ‘softness’ of our own touch is crucial in dealing with sensitive things.
Robots, on the other hand, are quite stiff and lack this gentleness.
What makes humans capable of such delicate handling is the combination of our rigid bones and soft tissues. To mimic this in robots, the team used a silicone sponge.
Just like the kitchen sponge we use for cleaning, the silicone sponge is easy to make and cheap.
Plus, it has a cool property: it can change its firmness depending on how much it’s squeezed.
By attaching this sponge to a robot’s arm, they were able to make the robot’s grip safer and more similar to a human’s.
This simple solution could be a game-changer for industrial robots handling fragile items and even in creating safer interactions between humans and robots.
Yue is excited about the future applications of this sponge technique. He sees it as a potential tool for various industries, including healthcare, where a gentle touch is crucial for procedures like ultrasound imaging.
Next, the team plans to make the device adaptable in multiple directions, including rotation.
So, the next time you use a sponge, think about how this simple tool is helping transform the world of robotics!
