Researchers have discovered a new law of physics that accounts for the friction that occurs when robots grip wet objects.
Although robotic devices are part of processes like assembly lines and medicine, engineers have a hard time accounting for this kind of friction.
“Our work here opens the door to creating more reliable and functional haptic and robotic devices in applications such as telesurgery and manufacturing,” says Lilian Hsiao, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of a paper on the work in
At issue is something called elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) friction, which is the friction that occurs when two solid surfaces come into contact with a thin layer of fluid between them. This would include the friction that occurs when you rub your fingertips together, with the fluid being the thin layer of naturally occurring oil on your skin. But it could also apply to a robotic claw lifting an object coated with oil, or to a surgical device working inside the human body.