New humanoid robot with ‘smart skin’ (I touched it)

A new humanoid robot called Gene.01 debuted at the AMD Advancing AI conference in San Francisco, featuring a layer of external sensors on its arm called “smart skin.”

When I touched it, the “smart skin” felt like a neoprene wetsuit.

The robot has two different types of sensors. First, it has touch sensors that can not only detect when the robot is being touched, but also determine where and how much force is being applied. As my fingers pressed against the rubbery skin, a display of the robot lit up on a nearby TV screen in the area I touched, glowing blue that got darker the harder I pressed. It specifically only lit up in the areas my fingers were pressing.

It also has proximity sensors that detect when someone or something is close to the robot, but not quite touching it. These are called “time of flight” sensors or ToF sensors in robotics. They work by sending invisible light into the environment and measuring the time it takes for the light to bounce back to the sensor.

When I placed my hand near these sensors, a dense array of dots appeared on the screen near the robot, indicating that it was detecting my presence. When I moved my hand away, the group of dots moved away from the robot on the screen and spread out until they were difficult to distinguish from the background.

Built-in touch and proximity sensors prevent collisions and enable gentle interactions, which could open the door to robots that work more closely with people. But collecting this kind of sensory data is just one piece of the puzzle.

The real challenge will be applying this data to real-time decision-making. This is something Genetic Bionics, the maker of Gene.01, is working on.

The company sees Gene.01 as a first step: a robotic platform that can be a starting point for manufacturing humanoid robots specifically to meet the specific needs of its customers. How much “smart skin” a robot has, where it is located, and what kind of hands or “end effects” it will have depend on the work the robot will be forced to do.

To see this robot’s “smart skin” in action and our interview with the CEO of Geneative Bionics, watch the video in this article.

Jesse Oral

Great video producer

Jesse Oral (he/him/his) is a senior video producer at CNET. It covers future technology, sustainability and the social impact of technology. He is co-host of CNET’s “What The Future” series and executive producer of “Experts React.” Aside from making videos, he is a certified diver and has a passion for music, film, history and the environment.

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