Robots give a helping hand

Inam Abidi Amrohvi highlights advancements in the
field of robotics

People who have seen the Terminator series would definitely remember the incredible robots shown in the movie. This fascination for real-life robots or humanoids is inspiring researchers to come out with even more intelligent machines, which can mimic humans.

Who am I?
Contrary to what we mostly see in the movies, the whole concept of robotics is to help mankind. Robots are now being used in various fields to good effect.

In fact, they have become valuable assets when it comes to the clearing of explosive mines or performing a remote surgery.

This is how the Oxford English Dictionary defines a robot: "A machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer."

Octopus inspiring scientists
Strange though it may seem, octopuses have always interested scientists. Understanding how they control eight flexible arms all at once could well be the basis for developing the next generation of flexible robotic arms.

Octopuses have both long and short-term memory. They remember solutions to problems, and can go to solve similar problems when the need arises. Some of these skills can be attributed to the high manoeuvrability of the arms and the capacity of the peripheral nervous system to perceive and process information.

A research funded by the US Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) suggests that to keep the arms from constantly tangling themselves up, each arm has an independent peripheral nervous system and neural circuitry. This helps carry out any order, independent of any further involvement on the part of the brain.

An artiificial hand that thinks
There are millions out there who have lost a limb to a childhood disease or because of land mines. Till a few decades ago, individuals who lost upper limbs had to settle for artificial hands with only a single degree of movement.

Now, thanks to research carried out by scientists at the University of Southampton, UK, artificial hands of the future will be lighter, have a much closer resemblance to the human hand and have multiple sensors that will allow the wearer to experience force, pressure, slippage and temperature.

The robotic hand developed, uses six sets of motors and gears so that each of the five fingers can move independently. This enables it to make movements and grip objects in the same way a real human does.

The artificial hand, called the 'Southampton Remedi-Hand', can be connected to muscles in the arm via a small processing unit and is controlled by small contractions of the muscles that move the wrist.

The thumb can rotate and the motors are controlled by sensors that detect muscle tension in the arm.

An artificial "skin" contains piezoelectric materials that respond to heat and pressure, allowing the hand to sense force and temperature, which should prevent it from sustaining damage or crushing something.

The "intelligent" hand uses sensors, electronics and microprocessor technology to allow this adaptive device to maintain optimum grip under the jurisdiction of a state-driven control system.

A robotic hand that cures
Breast cancer is a global phenomenon today. Many women, especially in remote areas, don't get the medical facilities that could diagnose the disease in its early stages.

Life-saving breast examinations could soon be performed by a robotic hand that combines ultrasound functions with an artificial sense of touch.

Devised by researchers at Michigan State University, researchers say it will help examine a woman for suspicious breast lumps or other abnormalities, from a remote location - another city or maybe another country.

The robotic hand is remotely controlled by means of a haptic "glove", in which each finger is connected to a motion-sensing device. The operator's hand movements are then measured and sent via a computer to the artificial hand.

The robotics grasper also measures the consistency of objects in its grasp by means of feedback to its motors.
This tactile information is fed back to the mechanical glove, giving the wearer an artificial sensation of touch.

The arm also incorporates an ultrasound sensor, as well as three video cameras, to give the expert a good view of the procedure.

At the current rate of success, the day is not far off when we will have robo-helpers at home and at our workplaces. That would be something!

The writer is a guru of tech who runs a trading company in Dubai