This robot hand knows how hard to squeeze.
By Gene B. Geraissati, Founder & Tech Curator | OTN 60 video
What happened
A startup called Eka is now worth 1.45 billion dollars. Its founders are an MIT professor and a former Google DeepMind researcher. Its robot gripper feels pressure, like fingertips, and learns by practicing millions of times in a computer simulation.
Why it matters
Most robots mostly see. Eka’s robot also feels, so it can pick up a raspberry without crushing it. In tests, it handled more than twice as many items per hour as a person. That could change warehouse and factory jobs, like packing orders or handling cables.
OTN take
Our take: the funding is official, and experts who saw the demo were impressed. But it’s still in early tests with a few factories. The real challenge is working reliably all day, for a whole year. Don’t expect one at home anytime soon.
More headlines every day on the OTN Live Wire.
Sources
Video images: OTN / AI-generated with Google Flow.
Editorial transparency: This article was drafted with generative AI under personal editorial direction. On Tech Now is responsible for its final review, accuracy and publication.
