Tech Breakthrough Means Robots Could Finally Help You Fold Your Laundry
Sure you have machines to wash and dry your clothes, but someday soon, a robot can give you an assist with folding them.
That’s the word from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, who have invented a tiny sensor embedded in the “skin” of a robotic hand.
Their “ReSkin” technology has solved a common problem when it comes to delicate materials: Robotic arms can grab and hold things, but they have a tough time with finer touches — because they typically can’t “feel.”
However, the scientists say their ReSkin tech allows a robotic hand to perceive how many layers of fabric it’s holding, which is key to folding laundry.
In a university release, Thomas Weng, a Ph.D. student in the university’s robotics lab explains, “We’re exploring how to get robots to feel with this magnetic skin for things that are soft, and exploring simple strategies to manipulate cloth that we’ll need for robots to eventually be able to do our laundry.”
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