PREVIEW

Swiss scientists have created a robot that can mimic the texture of a marshmallow, fruit or flesh. Although it may seem an odd task to assign to technology, their breakthrough has huge implications for the future of medicine, agriculture, and even space travel. The perception of softness is something that comes naturally to humans - we can judge the ripeness of an avocado or feel the welcome touch of a loved one. Understanding and reproducing softness perception has proved more of a challenge to robots, however, because it involves so many sensory and cognitive processes. However, researchers at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have created SORI, a robot that can mimic the softness of a marshmallow. It can even take on the texture of objects that are hard and soft - like a biscuit on top of a marshmallow, a task that’s tricky as it involves different sensory cues .In one virtual experiment, SORI even reproduced the sensation of a beating heart. The practical applications include training surgeons, exploring space or the deep oceans, or even handling delicate fruit.