A new robot maps the softness of different materials
Published: Wednesday, Mar 13th 2024, 11:20
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A new robot from Lausanne can precisely imitate the softness of various materials. In future, medical students could use it to practice detecting malignant tumors or researchers could feel the softness of an object in space.
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) announced on Wednesday that a deceptively complex challenge has been overcome with the digital transfer of softness. After all, how soft a material feels depends on several different processes.
"If you press on a marshmallow with your fingertip, it's easy to see that it's soft. However, if you place a hard cookie on top of this marshmallow and press again, you can still see that the soft marshmallow is underneath, even though your fingertip is touching a hard surface," explained EPFL PhD student Mustafa Mete.
Beef and a beating heart
There are therefore two elements that are decisive for softness: How the material feels on the skin of the fingertips, and what force it takes in the finger joint to compress it.
To develop the robot called Sori (Softness Rendering Interface), the research team led by researcher Jamie Paik separated these two elements. They described this approach in a study published in the journal "Proceedings" of the US Academy of Sciences (Pnas)
According to the researchers, this made it possible to faithfully recreate the softness of a whole range of materials. From beef, salmon and marshmallows to the leather cover of a book and a beating heart.
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