March 28, 2024

New robot manipulates objects without touching them

New robot manipulates objects without touching them

The engineer developed a robotic grip that is able to manipulate small and fragile objects using sound waves.

Conventional robotic grips can oftendamage fragile items. An alternative is their soft rubber-like counterparts, which do not harm objects, but are quickly contaminated and have limited manipulation accuracy. These options are not well suited for working with valuable objects.

Therefore, an engineer from ETH Zurich, Marcel Schuck, decided to useultrasonic waves, which when superimposed on each other are able to exert pressure, imperceptible to humans.

As a result, he created a robotic gripper withelectronically controlled, consisting of two hemispheres covered on the inside with small speakers. Using special software, it is possible to move the acoustic pressure point. This allows you to grasp and manipulate objects without direct contact with the surface. The specificity of the technology also allows you to work with objects of any shape without changing settings or additional modifications to the device.

New robot manipulates objects without touching them

According to the developer, such a capture is necessarymanufacturers of microchips, watches and other products related to high-precision micromechanics. He plans to launch a startup and release a full-fledged sample by the spring of 2021.

Engineers are rapidly improving robotics capabilities. Recently, researchers taught a robot to repair its own body and modify its body.

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