Us-made with QCT e skin allows the robot to produce tactile

United States MIT researchers say they successfully developed a robot can produce the feeling of "e-skin".

Rely on this kind of "e-skin", the robot can not only feel the location and orientation of objects, you can access information such as the hardness of the object.

According to reports, the system structure is simple and can be processed into a variety of shapes, like a garment is attached to the device surface.

The key point is that a technique known as quantum tunneling composites QCT. This material can be slight pressure and touch to measure and resistance values changes back to the circuit, this by a dimmer switch controls the brightness of the lamp.

And compared to previous similar material, QCT materials not only the hardness of the perceived object also can be detected objects hardness level.

In addition, with the XY scanning technology, the use of the robot also QCT technologies can be different (for example, forearm, shoulder and torso) comprehensive perception of information.

QCT is a metal active polymeric materials, metal or non metal scrap has.

This material can be varying degrees of pressure sensitive "translated" into the size of the current response, through which a large number of sensors allow the robot to produce soft, thick, "haptic". Because the QCT itself this unique performance, it can be made into various shapes and sizes of pressure sensitive switch. By screen printing of QCT material thickness can be thin to 75 microns.

QCT's operational power consumption is very low, the entire system without moving parts, you can contact directly with the objects without any air layer.

This makes it very reliable, and can be integrated into the super thin electronic equipment, also have very long operating life.

As technology evolves, the robot in the daily life of a growing, how to make robots to understand the sense of touch and in a limited space and interaction between humans and other items will become important.

The results of this study is expected to be quickly applied to MIT's robot project.

QCT technology has advanced in NASA's Robonaut robot projects received the application, its advanced sensor technology and the picker is leading in the world.

Researchers next goal is to make robot with human beings closer to the sense of touch and enhance its ability to interact with humans.