Scientists at Queen Mary University of London and University College (UCL) have confirmed for the first time that humans have a "teletouch" ability similar to that of some birds. For example, beachbirds are able to sense prey hidden beneath the sand without directly touching or seeing it. This discovery may change our understanding of the world we perceive.
The research team simulated the process of beach birds foraging in the sand, asking participants to use their hands to find buried squares in the sand, and asked them to accurately point out the location of the square before touching it. The results showed that humans were nearly twice as successful as robot hands using this method of perception. Specifically, the hit rate of humans within the range that can sense and approach the target is 70.7%, which is much higher than the 40% of robots.
Research leader Elisabetta Versace said that this is the first time that remote touch has been systematically studied on the human body, which will expand our understanding of the "receptive fields" of animals and humans. The robot's related algorithms are also inspired by the results of human experiments; the robot's performance in turn provides a new interpretation perspective for human data. This intersection of psychology, robotics and artificial intelligence is expected to drive basic discoveries and technological innovation.
The researchers hope that this achievement will promote the development of robot tactile sense and enable robots to have stronger sensing capabilities, such as archaeology, rescue, or exploration of complex environments such as Martian soil and the seabed, and achieve safer and more efficient operations. Related papers have been published at the IEEE International Conference on Development and Learning.