Robotics have come a long way, but they still often miss that innate, nervous sense of reluctant touch. Intel researchers have achieved something similar with a robotic hand that uses electrolocation to create a robotic hand conform to the shape of an object before interacting with it. Shown at Research@Intel Day, the hand uses fish-like electrolocation to bounce electric fields off of objects and then conform the hand to that shape in real time. They call the dynamic "Pre Touch," and it could prove useful for configuring robotics before they interact with objects without, say, damaging them or missing the interface completely. We've been aware of the technology for some time, but as you can see in the video after the break, Intel finally has something to show, and the results are what can only be described as a strangely nervous robotic hand.
Intel 近日在美國電腦歷史博物館舉行的 Research@Intel Day 活動中，發表了不少希奇古怪的東西，好比說上面那個機器手掌，他可是具備了預先感知物件形狀的能力。 這個叫做 Pre Touch 的技術，說起來也沒有那麼玄啦！他其實是應用了電氣定位 ( electrolocation ) 的方式，讓機器手掌在接觸物體之前，透過電場間的排斥即時將手掌轉成物件的外部形狀；這樣的能力其實在魚類當中，算是相當的普遍。 這東西的好處，是用來避免機器手掌在抓握物件的時候，因為沒橋好形狀而摔爛，特別是在處理一些瓷器的時候；跳轉後可以看到一隻緊張到好像第一次握放開那女孩的那女孩的手的機器手掌的實際操作影片。
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