3D Printed Soft Robo-Hand Can Play Nintendo Super Mario Bros. And Win
3D Printed Soft Robo-Hand Can Play Nintendo Super Mario Bros. And Win
What if Americans become too obese and
lazy that they had robots play video games for them one day?
University of
Maryland researchers have 3D printed a soft robotic hand
capable of playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System
(NES). The soft robotic hand is flexible and powered by air rather than
electricity.
The breakthrough in soft robotics is led by University of Maryland assistant professor of mechanical engineering Ryan D. Sochol and his team, who 3D print a fully functional soft robotic hand with "integrated fluidic circuits" that allowed it to be programmed and play NES.
"Previously,
each finger of a soft robotic hand would typically need its own control line,
which can limit portability and usefulness," said co-first author Joshua
Hubbard. "But by 3D printing the soft robotic hand with our integrated
fluidic transistors, it can play Nintendo based on just one pressure
input."
During a session of Super Mario Bros., various types of air
pressure control each of the robot's fingers. For example, the first finger is
controlled by low pressure, and the second finger is controlled by medium
pressure, and so forth. In total, three fingers can control the NES remote and
are programmed to beat the first level of the game in under 90 seconds.
Sochol and his team aren't satisfied with using soft robotics
technology for just video games. They're exploring ways to use this technology
in the biomedical field.
Watch the robot play the first level of the game and win.
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