Disney Research Creates Soft Skin For Robots

Disney Research has detailed a new project in which it is developing soft skin for use on robots. The skin module, as it's called, features an airtight cavity that is used to detect air pressure with a feedback controller. It wouldn't be used for animatronics, however, instead being developed for use with toy-sized robots. These parts are 3D printed, and safe to have in use around delicate objects.

According to a video made by Disney detailing the project, the soft skin is made for human-robot interaction; these modules, say the researchers, are able to interact with other soft objects in a "very gentle" fashion.

The first interaction shown in the video is with robotic armatures that have only small rubber pieces on the end — they crush a plastic cup when grasping it. When the soft skin modules are attached, however, they are far more gentle with the cup, able to move it around without crushing it. This is also demonstrated with a roll of paper.

The overall purpose of these soft modules is to allow robots to interact with humans in a way that is safe — no one wants to be accidentally crushed in the grip of a machine, obviously, and with these new sensitive modules, that is no longer a concern. Full report is available here [PDF].

SOURCE: Disney Research