How to improve robotic touch

Challenges for instrumenting robotic hands to match human performance are outlined Human hands are densely covered with touch receptors called mechanoreceptors that provide us the sense of touch. This continuous tactile feedback from objects we touch, and information on hand articulation and movemen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2020-11, Vol.370 (6518), p.768-769
Main Author: Sundaram, Subramanian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Echoes
End effectors
Feedback
Hand - physiology
Humans
Learning algorithms
Machine learning
Mechanoreceptors
Object recognition
Proprioception
Robotics
Robotics - instrumentation
Sensory feedback
Tactile stimuli
Touch
Touch receptors
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Summary:Challenges for instrumenting robotic hands to match human performance are outlined Human hands are densely covered with touch receptors called mechanoreceptors that provide us the sense of touch. This continuous tactile feedback from objects we touch, and information on hand articulation and movement —called proprioception—enable us to effortlessly handle diverse objects with fine dexterity. Bell's prescient treatise on the hand, written in 1833, refers to the human hand as the “consummation of all perfection as an instrument” ( 1 ). This sentiment echoes stronger today, in part fueled by the steep challenge of effectively instrumenting a robotic hand to provide similar feedback with the goal of attaining human-level dexterity. Recent insights into the primate tactile system and advances in machine learning (ML) may offer new prospects for tackling this old robotics challenge.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.abd3643