<p>Seeing robots made with soft, flexible parts in action appears to lower people’s anxiety about working with them or even being replaced by them. A Washington State University study found that watching videos of a soft robot working with a person at picking and placing tasks lowered the viewers’ safety concerns and feelings of job insecurity. This was true even when the soft robot was shown working in close proximity to the person. This finding shows soft robots hold a potential psychological advantage over rigid robots made of metal or other hard materials.</p>
A new generation of WSU engineers will learn not only how to build better robots but also how to make them work better with, and for, humans – thanks in part to a $3 million NSF grant.
Professors Santanu Bose, Amanda Boyd, Nairanjana Dasgupta, Mary Paine, Tahira Probst, and Mechthild Tegeder have been elected new members to the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS).They are part of the 29-member class of 2023 inductees who jo
Professors Santanu Bose, Amanda Boyd, Nairanjana Dasgupta, Mary Paine, Tahira Probst, and Mechthild Tegeder have been elected as part of the 29‑member class of 2023 WSAS inductees.