• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
TechEngage®

TechEngage®

Technology news and opinions

  • Tech News
  • Reviews
  • How-to
  • Roundups
  • Science
    • Energy
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Space
  • Apps
  • More
    • Opinion
    • Noteworthy
    • Culture
    • Blockchain
      • Cryptocurrency
    • Events
    • Deals
    • Startups
      • Startup Submissions
  • Videos
TechEngage » News » Robotics

Robots might now be able to feel pain

Avatar Of Fazeel Ashraf Fazeel Ashraf December 1, 2018

Photo contains two skulls with eyeballs
Photo by Alessio Ferretti Unsplash

Robots all over the universe must be screaming their non-existent lungs at this news. Yep, it looks like humans have found a way to replicate pain in robots.

A team of scientists from Cornell University recently published a paper that shows they have been able to develop proprioception in a softly textured robot.

For the non-scientists, this means that the team has been able to teach a squiggly piece of foam as the shape of its physical structure and its position. So if an external force or pressure is applied to it, the robot will understand it.

Now robots will be able to curse their creators like most of us humans do, during hardships. The scientists carried out this feat by copying an organic nervous system via several interconnected fiber optic cables.

This can eventually be replicated in big robots, let’s say Android or humanoids, but it’s a bit further in the future. Those poor robots can sigh a bit of relief; they have been spared misery, at least for now.

Theoretically speaking, all the scientists needed to do was connect external sensors to the fiber network and transmit “nerve” signals to the machine’s processor. Here the processor will act as the brain, and therefore “process” the pain.

The team created a soft robotic sensor that would be able to process whether it is bent, twisted, or both and to what extent. This model hasn’t been duplicated in the field of pure robotics for now it seems.

Now while I might joke that a team is a group of evil masochists who want to spread pain, but creating pain receptors in robots was never their intention. The study has other incredibly powerful applications. It could prove extremely useful in designing autonomous safety systems.

So the research isn’t really about pain or mimicking pain in robots. Its really about making robots feel physical sensations and external physical stimuli. The pain is just a consequence and a negative byproduct of the research.

The motivation was for robots to move around crowded or obstacles filled space more efficiently to avoid pain so that they wouldn’t bump into things.  Pain is the body’s (specifically the brain’s) way of telling organisms to avoid this situation or change the situation. So pain is a necessary evil.

It is the body’s defense mechanism and so necessary for survival. Let’s take a common example. When diabetes reaches a critical stage, the body can’t feel pain.

So if a person were walking barefoot and got injured over a pile of broken glass, they wouldn’t be able to feel it. This could result in the cut going unnoticed for weeks at which point the foot would have been severely infected and have to be amputated.

This is an extreme example but really explains the study well, if I say so myself. Then there is the whole traumatic response to severe pain. What if the pain becomes too hard to handle? What if robots become too intelligent for their own sakes?

Robots might start avoiding potential painful situations altogether, much akin to humans. What if robots started avoiding contact with other robots in fear of developing feelings for them and then getting rejected and getting their heart broken.

Robots might just become the mechanical versions of us.

Then there is another philosophical question behind the study. Would it be better if the robots just felt the pain and not question what caused the pain? Or other questions like why do I feel this way? Maybe such questions should be left for humans to answer.

Related Tags: Robots

Related Stories

  • Drones Are Changing The World In 9 Ways

    Drones are Changing the World in 9 Ways

  • World’S First Robot Hotel Getting Rid Of Over Half Of Its Useless Robots

    World’s first robot hotel getting rid of over half of its useless robots

  • These Incredible Little Bots Can Lift 40 Times More Than Their Own Weight

    These incredible little bots can lift 40 times more than their own weight

Avatar Of Fazeel Ashraf

Fazeel Ashraf

Former Author @TechEngage

IT graduate from the National University of Science and Technology with a passion for writing. When not reading or writing, I can be found listening to rock and metal or playing some classic jams on my electric guitar. I’m also a big fan of horror movies.

Reader Interactions

Share Your Thoughts Cancel reply

Please read our comment policy before submitting your comment. Your email address will not be used or publish anywhere. You will only receive comment notifications if you opt to subscribe below.

Primary Sidebar

Become a contributor

We are accepting contributor applications. All applications will be decided in 3 days after applying. To learn more click here.
TechEngage-Apple-News
TechEngage-Google-News
best keyboard apps

Best Android keyboard apps 2023

An illustration of best lap desks for bed

Best lap desks to use your laptop on bed in 2023

Recent Stories

  • Top Slack Alternatives in 2023
  • Apple strengthens account security with hardware keys support
  • 10 Best Messenger Apps in 2023
  • Essential Netflix tips and tricks 2023
  • How to lock Netflix profiles in 2023

Footer

Discover

  • About us
  • Newsroom
  • Staff
  • Advertise
  • Send us a tip
  • Startup Submission Questionnaire
  • Brand Kit
  • Contact us

Legal pages

  • Reviews Guarantee
  • Community Guidelines
  • Corrections Policy and Practice
  • Cookies Policy
  • Our Ethics
  • Disclaimer
  • GDPR Compliance
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Must reads

  • Best AirPods alternatives on Amazon
  • Best PC monitors for gaming on Amazon
  • Best family board games
  • Best Graphics Cards (GPUs) for gaming
  • Best video doorbells without subscription
  • Best handheld video game consoles
  • Best all-season tires for snow
  • Best mobile Wi-Fi hotspots
  • Best treadmills on Amazon
  • Best AM radios for long-distance reception

Download our apps

TechEngage-app-google-play-store

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved · TechEngage® is a Project of TechAbout LLC.
TechEngage® is a registered trademark in United Kingdom under Trademark Number UK00003417167 and is ISSN protected under the ISSN 2690-3776 and OCLC Number 1139335774.

Go to mobile version