Friday, May 03, 2019
Knit 1, Purl 2: Assembly Instructions for a Robot?
www.cmu.edu/news: Carnegie Mellon University researchers have used computationally controlled knitting machines to create plush toys and other knitted objects that are actuated by tendons. It's an approach they say might someday be used to cost-effectively make soft robots and wearable technologies.
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Wow! This technology is totally crazy. When I think of robotics, I certainly never considered soft materials being used. The word 'robotics' conjures up images of Wall-E, machines from Boston Dynamics, and other beings made of steel, hard plastics, and other such hard materials. However, the concept of soft robotics is particularly fascinating. According to the author, "The idea is to build robots from materials that are inherently safe for people to be near, so it would be very hard to hurt someone. Actuated soft components would be cheap to produce on commercial knitting machines." The idea of a 'smart' sweater that taps you on the shoulder to get your attention, or a bag that opens itself for you are tools that seem like they belong in a science fiction movie. The semiotics (Thanks Susan Tsu) of softer materials would most definitely help with public adoption of soft robots. Who would you rather care for you? Baymax, or the Terminator?
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