Imagine being able to communicate with a robot simply by touching it – no need for external input devices or complicated interfaces. Researchers have recently developed a groundbreaking system that allows robots to sense touch in a whole new way.

Typically, when we think of touch, we imagine using our fingertips to interact with touch screens or objects. But what if I told you that there’s another way to sense touch? The researchers behind this new system have tapped into a different way of feeling touch: through knuckles and joints. This unique sensation, described as a feeling of torque in the robotics world, has been successfully re-created in their robotic arm.

The robotic arm is equipped with six sensors, each capable of detecting even the slightest amount of pressure across the device. By accurately measuring the force and angle of the touch, a series of algorithms can then identify where the touch occurred and decipher the intended message. For example, drawing letters or numbers on the robot’s surface with a finger can be interpreted as directions for the robot to follow. Essentially, every part of the robot becomes a touch screen, minus the drawbacks of cost, fragility, and wiring.

Maged Iskandar, the lead author of the study and a researcher at the German Aerospace Center, explains the significance of this innovation: “Human-robot interaction is still not optimal because the human requires an input device. By using the robot itself as the input device, interactions become more seamless and intuitive.”

This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the way we communicate with robots. Not only does it offer a more affordable and straightforward method of incorporating touch feedback, but it also opens up new possibilities for interaction. Large robots, such as humanoids, stand to benefit greatly from this technology, especially considering the significant amount of investment they continue to attract.