Scientists 3D-Printed A Robotic Hand Skilled At Nintendo’s ‘Super Mario Bros’
Image via University of Maryland
This robot is made of simply just one hand. And as of right now it has only one purpose, too: playing video games. Super Mario Bros., specifically.
A team of researchers at the University of Maryland 3D-printed a soft robotic hand in different parts before assembling the structure. “Soft robotics” refers to a new type of robots who are powered not by electricity, but water or air. This technology is described as “distinctively suited for applications that would be difficult or impossible to realize using traditional, rigid robot” in the research published in Science Advances.
To create this robot, an integrated fluidic circuit was designed in order to let the hand operate in response to the strength of “a single control pressure,” according to the press release. To illustrate, the team demonstrates that applying a low pressure pressing the Nintendo controller made Mario walk, while higher pressures led to Mario jumping.
“Recently, several groups have tried to harness fluidic circuits to enhance the autonomy of soft robots,” explains recent PhD graduate and co-first author of the study, Dr Ruben Acevedo. “But the methods for building and integrating those fluidic circuits with the robots can take days to weeks, with a high degree of manual labor and technical skill.”
So instead of building the circuits the traditional way, the team turned to 3D printing. PolyJet 3D Printing, to be exact: a form of layered printing which stacks multi-materialed layers in 3D. Rather than the potential weeks it’d take to complete it, the hand was constructed in just one day. Then, it proceeded to beat the first level of Super Mario Bros. in less than 90 seconds, according to CNET.
Why video games, though? Well, the team states that the study was “motivated by science just as much as it was by fun.” For now, the robot hand is well accustomed to ticking away on the controller, enjoying a life of gaming and leisure.
However, future developments are on their way, and the hand and its descendants aren’t in existence “just because.” The team’s innovative technique could be extended to biomedical applications like surgical tools and prosthetics where detailed, sensitive pressure is crucial, not just for automated video game enjoyment.
[via Input, image via University of Maryland]
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