Innovative Control System Educates Soft Robots on the Fine Art of Safety – with a Touch of Humor
“New control system teaches soft robots the art of staying safe”
“Soft robots constructed from highly compliant materials are being touted for their potential application in delicate operations. However, such robots are more prone to damage from sharp objects or harsh environments,” wrote the authors in the original article.
Don’t you just love how the world of technology is full of surprises? Now we’ve got robots on a self-preservation trip. Delicate, soft robots who act like a batch of nervous parents whenever they see sharp objects or harsh environments. Bless them, they’re just trying to stick around long enough to save the world. Seriously though, kudos to the engineers at MIT for tapping into this interesting workaround.
It’s like those university engineers, sipping on their smart coffees, suddenly found a ‘Eureka’ solution. As if saying, “Hey fellas, the robots are getting hurt, maybe we should teach them some kung fu or something”. They came up with something a little more high-tech though, a unique control system that enables these robots to protect themselves against their environmental foes.
Interestingly, this new control system not just makes the robot self-aware but also helps it calculate the risk factor of a potential encounter with an enemy-like sharp object. It’s like giving a pair of high-tech glasses to an already advanced organism. Suddenly, the robot knows it’s bending too much, or hey, there’s a dangerous object approaching and chivalry isn’t going to work this time.
Adding another intellect layer, engineers have even enabled these robots to discriminate between safe and unsafe zones, like a human instinct. The robot can smartly opt for the operations where its survival isn’t immediately threatened. And if there’s a risky situation, the robot may decide to stay away, calculating the chances of its survival. Ah, the hero we didn’t know we needed!
Now, will this pave the way to even more safe, flexible, and sensitive robots, ones that could be reliable assistants in critical sectors like healthcare? Only time will tell. Until then, here’s to the brave soft robots, trying their best to stick around and get work done. And, to the engineers at MIT, who used their creative genius to keep our robotic friends safe and efficient. Tech world, you keep our heads spinning.