Japanese Researchers Develop Sensor Skin

ScentCone writes "A University of Tokyo team has developed a flexible, laminated network of pressure and temperature sensors suitable for jobs such as robot fingers. Circuits as pressure sensors, and semiconductors as temperature sensors are not new, but the thin, networked laminate of the two is novel."

Comments

Finally...

[Chatsubo]

Robots so far haven't been the best looking things, as their inventors rarely see a need to cover them up with "skin" or something that looks vaguely aesthetic.

So maybe this will make new robots resemble something a bit more organic, by, say, colouring this stuff to look like human skin. I think this would go a long way in making them more appealing to the public.

Re:Finally...

[JanneM]

Robots so far haven't been the best looking things, as their inventors rarely see a need to cover them up with "skin" or something that looks vaguely aesthetic.

Look up "uncanny valley" before you wish too much. Nonorganic, toy-looking is probably a lot better.

Key invent

[MrJones]

Since robot muscles are solved, this seems to be the key feature for future robots.
I always wonder how will the robots detects presure at skin level ... Eureka!

Re:Key invent

[Jaruzel]

Ah, but would you restrict the sensors to just fingers/hands/feet, or go for the whole 'body' ?

To be useful, covering the whole body would require millions of sensors, and somewhat impractical to implement and process.

I agree with earlier poster, the best use for this, is in prosthetics. We already have artificial limbs that can be 'moved' via crude nerve interfaces, add this on and the limb becomes a lot more useful. Much more usful than a Honda-bot that can pick up an egg without breaking it.

-Jar.

Re:Key invent

[Mycroft_VIII]

Actually I think there might be a way to handle so many sensors.
    for every few hundred or so have a very simple processor that just looks for sensors that need attention (nearing temp/pressure boundries, changing enough to warrent attention, ect.) then when something happens it sends a simple message upstream to a more important processor (HEY sensor #252 is getting hot fast!) that processor then converts the info from it's subs into more general info for the main system and passes it on (LEFT HAND MELTING!). Of course the higher processors should be able to set alert criterion for lower processors and even query for specifics, but outside of the main system focusing it's attention it mostly just processes simple all o.k. messages from a small handfull of surface sensor agregators.
    I know I'm rarely aware of more than a general sense of to what degree I'm comfortable unless I specifically focus such as when testing the water temp in the shower or when accidently stub a toe.

Mycroft

You're missing the point, mate

[Moraelin]

For starters, I was just going for a +1 Funny, but alas it seems I've just managed to be cryptic instead.

Second, if I'm to actually think seriously about it, whether the robot is pleasured is pretty much the last thing that comes to mind. Think of it as simply a feedback loop.

Think of it in terms of game design. You could just put the NPCs standing there and not bother with issues like AI or realistic reactions. They're just NPCs, right? Thy're there to be slaughtered. They're no better than cardboard targets, right? WTF do you care if they even try to defend themselves, or their team mates? It's not like they really have feelings or any real team spirit or anything, right?

Well, it turns out that nevertheless, people like it more when they see some believable reaction to their _own_ actions. If you gave someone a choice between two FPS games, (A) one where everyone sits around like cardboard targets, and (B) one where you can see reactions ranging from teamwork (suppression fire, flanking, etc), to panic, to whatever else, as a result of your actions, chances are they'll prefer B any time.

Or if we're talking robots, take some fine creations as the Aibo or various others. Some people buy an Aibo instead of just a statue of a dog. The point is precisely that you expect it to react to the environment or your actions, rather than just sit there looking like a dog.

So _if_ I were to manufacture a robot companion, I'd want it to act and react as much as possible as the owner's expectations of a real person.

The keyword there being "expectations", rather than being actually indistinguishable from a real person. E.g., someone looking for companionship that way probably expects something more along the lines of "co-dependent" than a realistic woman impersonation like "wtf, you never have time for me. If all that matters to you is World Of Warcraft, then I'm packing my bags and leaving." Again, not unlike game design and AI design: you have to match what the player expects, rather than create a perfect simulation or AI.

And _if_ that robot is also usable for sex, that would include sensory input and reactions for that. Ranging from moaning at the right time to pressure sensors to enforce some limits of what it's doing. (E.g., if it's giving the owner a hand-job, you don't want the robot to yank the guy's tool clean off.)

So there you go. Does that satisfy your curiosity?