

Using this design, the researchers built a three-fingered robotic hand that could identify objects after only one grasp, with about 85 percent accuracy. Each finger captures rich data on many parts of an object simultaneously. Instead, the MIT team built a robotic finger with a rigid skeleton encased in a soft outer layer that has multiple high-resolution sensors incorporated under its transparent “skin.” The sensors, which use a camera and LEDs to gather visual information about an object’s shape, provide continuous sensing along the finger’s entire length. Other designs use lower-resolution sensors spread along the entire finger, but these don’t capture as much detail, so multiple regrasps are often required. Many robotic hands pack all their powerful sensors into the fingertips, so an object must be in full contact with those fingertips to be identified, which can take multiple grasps. Inspired by the human finger, MIT researchers have developed a robotic hand that uses high-resolution touch sensing to accurately identify an object after grasping it just one time. Computationally-Enabled Integrative Neuroscience Program.Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Program.InBRAIN Collaboration Data Sharing Policy.
