Novel artificial nerve system to give robots sense of touch

New York, June 1: Researchers have developed an artificial sensory nerve system that can restore sensation to amputees using prosthetic limbs and one day give robots some type of reflex capability. The researchers tested the ability of the system to both generate reflexes and sense touch and found that it can activate the twitch reflex in a cockroach, identify and differentiate letters in the Braille alphabet, as well as accurately detect direction of the motion. In the study the researchers constructed an artificial sensory nerve circuit that could be embedded in a future skin-like covering for neuroprosthetic devices and soft robotics. This rudimentary artificial nerve circuit integrates three previously described components. The first is a touch sensor that can detect even minuscule forces. This sensor sends signals through the second component—a flexible electronic neuron. The study describes how the electronic neuron delivered signals to the synaptic transistor, which was engineered in such a way that it learned to recognise and react to sensory inputs based on the intensity and frequency of low-power signals, just like a biological synapse. (IANS)

Top Headlines

No stories found.
Sentinel Assam
www.sentinelassam.com