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Robots could sense both touch and proximity, by seeing through their arms
In order for robots to operate safely around humans, they need to see that people are approaching and they need to know when they make physical contact with those people. A new system allows them to do both, using cameras located inside their arms.
The hollow appendage has a soft, transparent polymer skin, which is covered in a flexible layer of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) material. As an added bonus, ProTac can be set to a "flicker mode" in which the PDLC continuously (and rapidly) switches back and forth between its transparent and opaque states. "ProTac can be applied to dexterous robotic manipulation in various domains where safety and delicate physical interaction are critical," says Dr. Luu.
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