MIT is a constantly evolving center, home to remarkable innovation. A recent example is a smart glove that teaches you how to perform tasks through tactile sensations. Such ingenuity could revolutionize various sectors. Among other things, musical performance, interaction with robots and experience in virtual environments.
The solution, developed by researchers at MIT’s CSAIL division of computing and artificial intelligence, is shaped like a traditional glove. But unlike the regular one, it is equipped with sensors combined with a very delicate sewing process. Additionally, it works in conjunction with a machine learning program. How do you train users for tasks? Haptic feedback is keytechnology similar to that used in game console controls that triggers personalized vibrations.
According to the lead author of the smart glove study, Yiyue Luo, people learn primarily through visual and/or auditory information. “We usually don’t share physical interactions with others. Instead, we do this by observing the movements. For example, in piano and dance lessons,” says a graduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and CSAIL affiliate.
Here’s how a smart glove that uses touch to teach subtle tasks works
The video above this paragraph shows behind the scenes of the production of an ingenious and unusual wearable device. Researchers use a special embroidery machine capable of integrating touch sensors and haptic actuators in textiles. As we have already noted, we find this technology in video game controllers, as well as in mobile phones. This is what we perceive, for example, when a certain sector of the screen emits a slight vibration.
MIT CSAIL experts note an important detail: the smart glove must be made individually, taking into account the characteristics of each hand. The good news is that the process is fast, as the final product is produced in about 10 minutes. Otherwise, Can be used in just 15 seconds.in which it collects information from the new user.
The team led by Luo foresees that this type of device will offer benefits beyond just the hands. The technology can be extended to the feet, hips and other parts of the body using stronger feedback systems.
MIT Tech Glove ‘Democratizes’ Piano Learning
“This development involves new approach to learning movements and physical abilities in optimal shape,” comments Luo in dialogue with Hypertext. The potential uses for this invention are fascinating, and one of the most fascinating is its ability to teach piano. At the same time, the smart glove vibrates on one of the fingers and signals that a certain key on the device should be pressed.
In laboratory tests, an experienced pianist recorded a melody using a glove that captured the sequence of finger movements. A specially designed artificial intelligence system then converted the series of movements into haptic feedback. Finally, the textile device was used by students of the instrument who followed the instructions, that is, the vibrations.
Wojciech Matusik, professor of electrical and computer engineering at MIT and leader of the Computational Design and Manufacturing Group at CSAIL, noted the advances made with smart gloves. “This is the first step towards creating personalized AI agents that continuously collect data about the user and the environment. “(This invention) helps perform complex tasks, learn new skills and promote better behavior,” he said in a statement.
Other uses for smart gloves include robotics, virtual reality, manual arts, and aviation.
The innovations developed at the American Institute are wide-ranging. In addition to piano training, the researchers are evaluating other use cases and scenarios. One of them is teleoperation robots. In tests, they discovered that the smart glove could transfer sensations to mechanical arms, allowing the robots to perform delicate tasks. The move is not trivial given the challenges robots have so far faced in manipulating fragile objects and interacting with people without risk of injury. “It’s like teaching them to behave like people,” Luo says.
The MIT glove knows what fun is too. In one experiment, it was used for a racing video game. Users collected coins while their car was moving at full speed. To the researchers’ surprise, players who used haptic feedback scored higher than participants who used traditional input methods.
In addition, the smart glove will create a more immersive virtual reality experience. In practice, this will allow users tap digital environments with more personalized mechanisms. There’s more to come, and this breadth is truly beautiful. According to the experts involved, This type of device would be useful in surgical medicine courses, craft workshops, and even for aircraft pilot training..
MIT CSAIL Plans for Revolutionary Glove
What news is there about the future of this development? Following Luo, the current system only involves simple movements. In the future, it is planned to include additional data on the occurrence of more personalized devices to solve complex problems.
“We use an optimization process with adaptive feedback. This allows us to solve the problem that everyone tends to use gloves differently and has a characteristic reaction to the same feedback,” Luo concludes the conversation with this publication.
The results of the study were recently published in the journal Nature. This work was supported by a grant from the MIT College of Computing. Shvartsman via Google. He also received a grant from GIST-MIT and additional support from Wistron, Toyota Research Institute and Ericsson.
Source: Hiper Textual
