Cornell University
Cornell researchers have created a low-cost way to enable soft robots to detect a range of physical human interactions, from pats to punches to hugs, by using an off-the-shelf USB camera that “captures” the shadows made by hand gestures on the robot’s skin and physical contact. Soft robots use camera and shadows to sense human touch
February 8, 2021
Soft robots may not be in touch with human feelings, but they are getting better at feeling human touch.
Cornell researchers have created a low-cost method for soft, deformable robots to detect a range of physical interactions, from pats to punches to hugs, without relying on touch at all. Instead, a USB camera located inside the robot captures the shadow movements of hand gestures on the robot’s skin and classifies them with machine-learning software.