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In-Depth Information
6 Soft Materials
Such changes from oak tree robustness to willow adaptation can be observed else-
where. Haptics is now getting wide attention and is being applied extensively. This is
because the number of soft materials is quickly increasing. In robotics, tele-grasping
cannot be discussed without haptics, because the target object is getting softer and
softer and the traditional method using vision alone does not work anymore.
Up to now, we could identify what the target is by vision alone, because the
target material is hard and does not deform when we grasp it at a distance. But when
the target material becomes soft, it changes its shape when we grasp. Thus, vision
alone does not work and we have to study what it is by touching and by observing
how it changes its shape. Thus, we have to communicate to identify.
7 Changing Constraints
This change of material attributes calls for the change in our design of mechanical
products. Up to now, they were designed based on a speaking technology basis. i.e.,
Designers have their models and the machines were operated based on this
!
xed
model. And users or operators were supposed to do what machines (designers)
expect them to do.
In these days, materials themselves were hard. So most of the constraints were
hard at the time of design and it remains the same during operations. Thus hard
constraints remained hard all the way throughout its product lifecycle. And
designers preferred to introduce hard constraints as much as possible because it is
far easier to design machines that way.
But the frequent and extensive situational changes and diversifying environ-
ments has made such an approach ineffective. Machines have to adapt to the
changes immediately. So instead of designing on a
!
fixed model, we have to
introduce an adaptive model approach. To be adaptive, we have to communicate
and learn what is happening now.
As the materials are changing from hard to soft, the machine parts have to
communicate with each other. When the materials are hard, they
!
fit in because each
part wears away (this is another communication). But if the materials are soft,
communication mechanisms must be taken in from the
!
first. Otherwise, parts cannot
work together well.
8 From Fixed Model to Adaptive Model
In the days of a
!
fixed model, emotion was considered to be noise. It
fl
uctuates and
cannot be controlled easily. It gets in the way to build up a
!
fixed model. Thus,
emotion was thrown out of consideration. And decisions were not
important
