MSGID: 1:317/3 64815970   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Sponge makes robotic device a soft touch    
      
     Date:   
         June 7, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Bristol   
     Summary:   
         A simple sponge has improved how robots grasp, scientists have   
         found.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   A simple sponge has improved how robots grasp, scientists from the   
   University of Bristol have found.   
      
   This easy-to-make sponge-jamming device can help stiff robots handle   
   delicate items carefully by mimicking the nuanced touch, or variable   
   stiffness, of a human.   
      
   Robots can skip, jump and do somersaults, but they're too rigid to hold   
   an egg easily. Variable-stiffness devices are potential solutions for   
   contact compliance on hard robots to reduce damage, or for improving   
   the load capacity of soft robots.   
      
   This study, published at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics   
   and Automation (ICRA) 2023, shows that variable stiffness can be achieved   
   by a silicone sponge.   
      
   Lead author Tianqi Yue from Bristol's Department of Engineering   
   Mathematics explained: "Stiffness, also known as softness, is important   
   in contact scenarios.   
      
   "Robotic arms are too rigid so they cannot make such a soft human-like   
   grasp on delicate objects, for example, an egg.   
      
   "What makes humans different from robotic arms is that we have soft   
   tissues enclosing rigid bones, which act as a natural mitigating   
   mechanism.   
      
   "In this paper, we managed to develop a soft device with variable   
   stiffness, to be mounted on the end robotic arm for making   
   the robot-object contact safe."  Silicone sponge is a cheap and   
   easy-to-fabricate material. It is a porous elastomer just like the   
   cleaning sponge used in everyday tasks.   
      
   By squeezing the sponge, the sponge stiffens which is why it can be   
   transformed into a variable-stiffness device.   
      
   This device could be used in industrial robots in scenarios including   
   gripping jellies, eggs and other fragile substances. It can also be used   
   in service robots to make human-robot interaction safer.   
      
   Mr Yue added: "We managed to use a sponge to make a cheap and nimble   
   but effective device that can help robots achieve soft contact with   
   objects. The great potential comes from its low cost and light weight.   
      
   "We believe this silicone-sponge based variable-stiffness device will   
   provide a novel solution in industry and healthcare, for example,   
   tunable-stiffness requirement on robotic polishing and ultrasound   
   imaging."  The team will now look at making the device achieve variable   
   stiffness in multiple directions, including rotation.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Matter_&_Energy   
                   # Robotics_Research # Medical_Technology # Engineering   
                   # Electronics   
             o Computers_&_Math   
                   # Robotics # Artificial_Intelligence # Neural_Interfaces   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Humanoid_robot o Industrial_robot o Robotic_surgery o Robot   
             o Nanorobotics o Algae o Earth_science o Technology   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Bristol. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230607004108.htm   
      
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