Researchers create a robotic hand that can 'sweat'

[Polycount]

Through the looking glass: Though it probably won't happen for at least another decade or so, there's a good chance many of us will live to see the day where robots become indistinguishable from humans. Some of the main milestones robots will need to hit before that time comes are obvious: human-like intelligence, realistic movements, and slightly less creepy faces, to name a few.

But what if robots could mimic humans in less obvious ways? That's a question one team of scientists decided to answer with their latest research, which has been published in Science Magazine.

Researchers worked together to create technology that allows soft-body robots to "sweat," and thus keep themselves cool. The team built a soft hydrogen-based "actuator" hand to prove their concept. The exterior of each of the robot's "fingers" is capped with a "microporous polyacrylamide dorsal layer," which contains temperature-sensitive pores.

At low temperatures, the pores remain closed, but when a given finger (or part of a finger) becomes too hot, the pores dilate, allowing for the water stored within to drip out in the form of "localized perspiration."

The idea is certainly impressive, but just how efficient is this form of cooling? According to researchers, sweating allowed their robot to exhibit a "600% enhancement in cooling rate" (about 39.1 degrees Celsius per minute) when compared to similar "non-sweating" devices.

Further, their version of sweating allows for even better cooling than you might see in the "best animal systems," though this comes at the cost of a "temporary decrease" in operational efficiency.

The full research is quite technical, but we've given you a brief overview of what the roboticists behind it have been able to accomplish. If words like photopolymerization, thermoregulation, and "gravimetric swelling ratio" don't scare you, though, you can read the full paper for yourself right here.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/83781-researchers-create-robotic-hand-can-weat.html

 

[OneSpeed]

One step closer to the sex-bots! Keep it up, boys!

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Nanomachines son...

 

[Uncle Al]

The true teen robot reaction before asking little Ms. Toaster out on his first date ......

 

[FF222]

And your taxes paid are spent on supporting "researching" and "developing" totally pointless stuff, like this...

 

[cliffordcooley]

 

[Evernessince]

And your taxes paid are spent on supporting "researching" and "developing" totally pointless stuff, like this...

You say that now until a firefighter in a sweating robot exoskeleton saves your life.

 

[Puiu]

And your taxes paid are spent on supporting "researching" and "developing" totally pointless stuff, like this...

Beyond the exoskeleton which could save lives (or be a good force augmenter) you have to think about soft bodied robotic arms and legs for people that need them.

A quote from their website:
"A key field of use for soft robots is specifically in patient care and rehabilitation. Through proper application of distributed sensing, actuation, and power it may be possible to extend independence, provide greater dignity, and improve outcomes for those with a variety of medical conditions. Towards this goal, we are developing hardware for cardiac devices, prosthetic limbs, wearable sensing networks, and the software tools to interpret signals from these patients for gentle yet forceful interventions."

 

[erickmendes]

The true teen robot reaction before asking little Ms. Toaster out on his first date ......

Next milestone: synthetic pimples.

 

[lazer]

As long as robots don't fart, I am ok, with the hand sweating......

 

[FF222]

You say that now until a firefighter in a sweating robot exoskeleton saves your life.

You mean until both a firefighter and I will die in a burning building because we slipped on the sweat drops of his robotic exoskeleton as we tried to escape the building, don't you?

 

[Evernessince]

You mean until both a firefighter and I will die in a burning building because we slipped on the sweat drops of his robotic exoskeleton as we tried to escape the building, don't you?

Aside from the fact that sweat drops will evaporate in a burning building before they are able to pool up into anything you can slip on, Firefighters boots are anti-slip anyways. Of course they have to be, the guys manning the hose get wet and they have to be designed to work in all weather..

 

[FF222]

Aside from the fact that sweat drops will evaporate in a burning building before they are able to pool up into anything you can slip on

No they won't. Just because a building is on fire doesn't mean every inch of it has a temperature are above boiling point. Or even just over freezing point, for that matter. In most house fires people die of smoke inhalation, not through actual burns. Also, if it would be that hot, that sweat drops would evaporate, the exoskeleton couldn't sweat either, just pump out steam, if anything, right? You didn't think this through, did you?

Firefighters boots are anti-slip anyways.

Which doesn't mean they don't slip. It just means they slip possibly harder. However, more important is that the point I made went so far wooosh over your head, that it entered a stable orbit around Earth. And that pretty much sums up everything there's to say about this.

 

[Evernessince]

No they won't. Just because a building is on fire doesn't mean every inch of it has a temperature are above boiling point. Or even just over freezing point, for that matter. In most house fires people die of smoke inhalation, not through actual burns. Also, if it would be that hot, that sweat drops would evaporate, the exoskeleton couldn't sweat either, just pump out steam, if anything, right? You didn't think this through, did you?


Which doesn't mean they don't slip. It just means they slip possibly harder. However, more important is that the point I made went so far wooosh over your head, that it entered a stable orbit around Earth. And that pretty much sums up everything there's to say about this.

"an average house fire will usually burn at a temperature somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit "

Simple convection essentially guarantees the entire structure will increase enough in temperature to the point where water evaporation will significantly accelerate. It doesn't need to reach boiling point FYI as increased temperature of the air increase it's capacity to hold moisture and speeds the absorption process along. In addition, due to the fire reducing moisture levels of surrounding objects, most surfaces will be unquenched, thus increasing their propensity to absorb water. If it were so easy to pool water up in a burning building then why do firefighters even need fire trucks and hoses? Oh that's right, the water evaporates quickly lol.

"Also, if it would be that hot, that sweat drops would evaporate, the exoskeleton couldn't sweat either"

Wrong. The "sweat" is stored inside the device itself and is not exposed to the fire for nearly as long as anything else in the structure they are going into. It would be all too easy to insulate it as well for those who are going to be exposed for longer periods. If it evaporates after it's left the exo it's already done it's job.

"However, more important is that the point I made went so far wooosh over your head, that it entered a stable orbit around Earth. And that pretty much sums up everything there's to say about this."

Sounds like a you problem.

"Which doesn't mean they don't slip. It just means they slip possibly harder. "

I'm going to guess you've never had to manage a fire house before? You get a lot wetter doing that and have to hold back a lot more force then simply running around. At this point you are simply trolling.