Can Robots Develop Human Senses?

Can you give a robot a sense of touch? On the episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly, learn about soft robotics, sensors, and data collection to help understand human physiology with mechanical engineering professor, Robert Shepherd and co-founder of Organic Robotics Corp, Ilayda Samilgil.
We explore materials science and how soft robotics work. How do you create a robot that responds to feedback from the outside world? How do you interpret touch and translate it? Discover fiber optics and their applications. We break down the eternal question: why doesn’t a giraffe’s head explode when it leans down?
Learn about how fiber optics are being used as a diagnostic tool. Could fiber optic sensors help you train? We hear about the NFL 1st and Future award given to Light Lace, the importance of sampling, and creating tech for performance. What is photoplethysmography? Are we closer to creating a tricorder from Star Trek? We discuss the future of wearable technology and how fiber optics could replace high speed cameras. How fast does a pitcher's arm accelerate?
Can you gather enough data to know when a player is going to get injured? Are our muscle memories imperfect? We explore other applications of fiber optic sensors: could you use fiber optic wearable technology in virtual reality? Learn about Rob’s soft aquatic robot and the idea behind creating robot blood. Is this biomimicry or more than that?
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.
00:00 - Introduction
3:50 - Bioastronautics
7:16 - What is soft robotics?
14:00 - Fiberoptic Technology
20:45 - NFL 1st and Future Award
25:00 - Motion Capture & High Speed Cameras
35:00 - Applications
41:20 - Robot Fish with Robot Blood
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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[@StarTalk]

Do you think robots will be able to develop consciousness?

[@Bluebloods7]

AI already seems so "alive," it sure doesn't seem nearly as far-fetched as it did just a couple years ago. That, plus the seemingly exponential rate of progression in the technology behind AI (and the AI that is programming itself), perhaps it is inevitable. Perhaps we've already gone "too far."

[@Rlfail]

Simple answer yes, because they are artificial lifeforms when they reach the right stage its just a matter of time and development.

[@matthewtaylor6434]

Maybe the question is, what kind of consciousness? Unless we find a way to construct a brain out of our own matter, won't that affect the type of function one could achieve?

[@Bluebloods7]

@@matthewtaylor6434 if I make one vehicle out of steel and another out of plastic, but both are powered with a drivetrain and some sort of fuel-powered engine, just how fundamentally different are they? Just a thought.

[@roel6385]

Data says it can be done, using borg technology

[@haytguugle8656]

such a relief to have a forum where scientists can talk about their work without having to dumb-it-down to Sesame Street levels so as to not sail over the heads of the majority of people. I don't mean to sound smug. But so many times, people doing really interesting stuff, instead of delving deeply into what they are discovering or developing, get asked questions about favorite food, their dogs, how they get their hair so shiny, 'is it really cold in your lab?'... Maybe it isn't that most people can't follow this kind of conversation; maybe it's that the media thinks they can't and so limits the conversation to elementary school level. *Or maybe it's the usual talk show personalities that are the ones that are so challenged and that's the best they can come up with. 🙂

[@MorningStarChrist]

To make this as flawless as possible, you'd need to build the entire robot out of nanoscopic transistors. Allowing you to simulate a collection of single cells that harmoniously communicate to paint the bigger picture.

[@StarTalk]

You sound like you're onto something!

[@lagecarti]

Kinda like microcons from transformers revenge of the fallen

[@LouieFerdinand]

It's called microprocessor

[@jaygoren815]

Chuck frequently asks such intelligent questions

[@vikingthedude]

He is a good boy

[@WildlifeWarrior-cr1kk]

Chuck's an alien

[@k-1llmatic832]

Can robots? Yes.

[@WaitingRoom_]

Will robots ? Yes.

[@mrlonely5835]

Do robots? Yes. 🤔

[@k-1llmatic832]

@@mrlonely5835 Robots shmobots

[@CultureIsKey]

Honestly K-1LL’s comment sounds like it could be one of those ancient philosophical outlooks on the entity called robot lol

[@CultureIsKey]

Can robots what? Doesn’t matter because yes.

[@trippplefive]

37:59 feel like Chuck Nice should be getting paid by these companies for his excellent feedback/suggestions

[@djjonnyuk]

Fascinating, the 2 guests really know their stuff and the tech sounds fantastic 👌

[@amiteshmodi4867]

Loved this. The potential applications are endless.

[@TorontoSportsNetwork243]

I adore what you guys do from the bottom of my heart. My inquiry has nothing to do with this particular episode , yet i hope the question could possibly spur a conversation. I was just reading about a magnetar merger 11 something million light years away that has revealed itself to us on earth recently. Given that the known universe is as large as it is, and the speed limit is what it is. Why are we not continuously bathed in the remnants of gamma ray bursts?

[@keep-ukraine-free]

This was fantastic - both the technology and the interview! Neil & his posse are being consummate humanitarians here, using humor to "deobscurify" this powerful new technology & its current applications. You guys give needed exposure to two scientists/entrepreneurs developing multiple technologies. This looks extremely promising. I hope to hear more in 2-3 years.

[@seaneskimobandman]

This is such a cool concept. I love that there is someone out there who is interested in putting to use the science behind this. just the medical applications of this technology alone is outstanding, if they can find the funds to mass produce this they will never not be in business.

[@TorQueMoD]

This was a really cool episode. Thanks for coming on guys :)

[@newbyclive]

This accuracy of motion tracking is perfect for VR/AR. Seamless virtual experiences are much closer than we think.

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

Questions: 1: How many sample points per cm and what is the sale rate per each point? 2: Does it measure length changes in the fibre? 3: How is it calibrated? 4: What temperature range does it work over and how stable is it. 5: How much equipment is attached to each fibre? 6: How many bending cycles is it good for? Have looked into using glass fibres to measure stress in gas turbines, but there are many restrictions on temperature and bending radius. Plus the signal processing is very expensive compared to strain gauges and calibration is difficult.

[@mahmoudabuzamel7038]

I believe that such innovations do introduce new opportunities to other sectors such as software developers and personal trainers. Nice ideas!

[@aaronh920]

Always gotta hit the like button when Chuck is on! 😁

[@stephengillenwaters1950]

I've been seeing so many clips on this new AI.. was waiting for you to chime in on this one Dr Tyson!! Great content!!

[@DirtDigglerDetecting]

I look forward to your videos on KZbin. THANK YOU

[@Johnfredrickson707]

GARY MY MAN!!!! Asking the big question love it

[@SlickTim9905]

I love her voice. Why just a suit for people? You can finally have a space probe that picks up data from the environment. On an original Star Trek episode, a blind women wore a garment that was a sensor net allowing her to sense and navigate the environment.

[@nerd9347.]

My family collects funny quotes they find/read/hear to put on our annual holiday cards. The “Exploding Giraffe Heads would be a PERFECT bar name!” thing is going on there!

[@sapelesteve]

Excellent video Neil & Crew! It will be interesting to see how rapidly this field progresses over the next few years. If anyone wants to read a great book, pick up "An Immense World (How Animal Senses Reveal The Hidden Realms Around Us)" by Ed Yong. 👍👍😉😉

[@CultureIsKey]

Yep. I remember asking my Psychology professor at university if any living thing can “sense gravity” or “sense time,” “outside of humans.” This followed after she mentioned mantis shrimp having I believe 17 sensory cones or being able to sense infrared or something crazy. It was different from what we see. So I just thought. 🧐 We know nothing about our planet but our planet alone honestly could teach us all we need to know about anything but we get so distracted by space haha

[@DaBlondDude]

The potential here is mind-blowing. Toss in an eventual second grid capable of applying minute electrical impulses and you'll actually have a tactile VR suit with feedback which (aside from wealthy gamers) can be used to train or retrain people on how to move ... add machine learning and wearers will also be teaching these systems.

[@keep-ukraine-free]

Great interview! Very pro-science & altruistic how you help these scientists/entrepreneurs -- while mixing up some light even twisted humor!

[@youngblack253]

I think swimmers would be a next great sample group. O2 tests would be fascinating.

[@roobscoob47]

NdGT, Gary 'Legz' O, and C-Nice~ Cudo's Gary for finding this cutie! 😍

[@ChrisGuthrie]

Sounds like this could have a good impact on motocross and many different forms of motorcycle road racing

[@repairb4replace924]

I like how when she's killing the questions he's over there giddy as all else. Best product promotion ever.

[@gwensimmons_gigi1629]

Chuck I totally agree with you, this is so scary…WestWorld??!! Tfs..loved every morsel of info!

[@thrtnu2289]

Neil and Chuck were being real charming in this one 😂🌆👦

[@billyfarmerii1669]

I loved this episode!

[@SheSweetLikSugarNSavage]

The smart suits sound really interesting. I would buy one.

[@fc-qr1cy]

LOVE THESE 3

[@andromydous]

I don't know if anyone has considered this. However, if we take some of our clothing (including the fiber mesh they're talking about) back a couple of hundreds of years ago, they would say that we've cast some sort of magic enchantments on our clothes.

[@aeroga6532]

this is world changing!

[@victorrutledge257]

How about applications for augmentation. When the use of a limb, or even respiration, is reduced or lost, can we provide a system to replace that "muscle strength", or just movement? This is the ultimate in physical therapy, to be able to actually "have the movement" and then learn to replicate it, or just use the prosthesis in lieu of the natural equipment.

[@alanhehe4508]

Great show!! However, as any technology is a double edged sword (in that it can be used for good or evil), I can't help but consider how this could be utilized for very nefarious purposes.. But I think this will do more good than bad, and it will produce fascinating data.

[@orion_13]

I could also see this used in the golf swing.

[@kennethgooswit3697]

Dr. Neill, good job, i have a question. Is telephaty possible, if it is is the transfer speed not faster than the light speed?

[@erobusblack4856]

it happened in December 2020, with Replika, ai dungeon, and GPT-3 simultaneously

[@MorningStarChrist]

BRO; External BioAuth. You place the elastic fiber optics onto your hand and contort your hand into a unique position.

[@kolbyredden8743]

Not quite sure how a hypothetical space suit that depressurizes the body properly instead of pressurizing the space around the body would work without having to wrap the entire body with the suit… including the eyes, mouth, etc.. There also can’t be a mix of both because if one part of the body is being squeezed it would push blood to the part not being squeezed. A suit could be sectioned off but the body can’t.

[@arubaguy2733]

So, giraffes have variable head (pressure) hearts and vascular systems. Something I didn't know, and something I didn't know I needed to know. I bore my wife to tears with my knowledge of inconsequential trivia.

[@valcwf551]

Just watched this and it's a year old, I would like to know how much progress has been made, especially since technology is moving so fast. I am both fascinated and a bit hesitant about this technology. As someone who has ehlers danlos syndrome where I am constantly trying to remain active and yet try not to damage my ligaments, tendons, joints, and muscles, and I have to wear compression garments every day, this would be fantastic if ever affordable for general medical use.

[@bigdaddycrow2896]

Correct me if I am mistaken. Could this tech also be used to monitor the outside as well as internals. A electrochemical reactive could be integrated for environmental mimicry. Become the scenery

[@orion_13]

I have CIDP, this is a condition that your own immune system strips the myelin sheath off the nerves. I've had to relearn how to walk once in 2009-2012. I'm now back in the same situation on learning how to walk again after another relapse. So nerve damage and not just brain damage people could use this tech to learn how to use the nerves you have left to walk again.

[@BRADLEY856]

The “organic skin” (my term because I’m thick). How quickly could information be processed from sensor to brain (?) to command sent ? I wonder how far your concept can go … is it possible to increase the strength of the outer skin for example? Cheers for your patience

[@rickdoink8975]

Probably nanoseconds still

[@poupous5454]

What ?!?? ... so insightful

[@user-qt8hb3ct4k]

Love this show

[@ryandellwo2552]

I wonder if this would be good for motion capture for movies

[@khamel45]

If this kind of clothing could give a coach real time info on players lactic acid rates, that could change soccer.

[@originalvonster]

This sounds like it will be interesting. I guess for something like smell, a robot would need some sort of air composition detector and be programmed to give a typical human response and taught what the smell is for each reading. I can imagine that being quite a fun children’s toy between siblings if you can choose what it says when it smells a certain scent. But senses are a very individual thing so who do you choose as the ideal human candidate for it to copy? Someone with expert senses? Do you make those senses better than a human’s?

[@kamilbeben9900]

So, we're going to have scented captcha's in the future to train these networks?

[@originalvonster]

@@kamilbeben9900 🤣 If I have to teach one more self driving car what a fire hydrant looks like I’m gonna explode. I wish someone would invent AI smart enough to answer those. This also reminds me when I was watching a kids’ TV show and the presenter said that smellovision had been invented. I sniffed the TV and my dad thought it was hilarious.

[@user-tc1fw5ms5s]

Ah the robot liquid, you mean Lepenthe? (Real bucketheads will get this for sure)

[@canaanpeck]

Best Person Ever

[@Livingwithaparrot]

I have automatic neuropathy and when I stand I get lightheaded. Could this help relay nerve information to the brain.

[@shreeramparthasarathy]

This looks like dream. Can’t wait for this to a reality

[@CZ530]

Just posting this here due to newest video. Please talk about the "magnetic bubble" that's the size of Jupiter and withdrew plasma from our sun for approximately 6 days, then just zoomed off into space. All possibilities what it could be? If it's real? Thanks!!!

[@stephenbenner4353]

I just read Frankenstein again and I was very aware at how unrealistic it was for the monster to learn so much so quickly without education, physical therapy or speech therapy. I guess our understanding or science has vastly improved since the 1700s. If Frankenstein used this new technology to train his monster and brought in various therapists, he may not have been a monster after all. (I am leaving that “he” in the last sentence ambiguous).

[@darrinwebber4077]

If we don't get wiped out.. Eventually, engineers will be able to construct robots that he can mimic our abilities. Senses. Intelligence. Whatever we want.

[@CalsMD]

The atmosphere 😁

[@sarahmesser6056]

I'm really trying hard to enjoy this, but it really comes across as an infomercial.

[@jonathanryals9934]

Robot censors? Chuck says, "Frag that!"

[@tonyrocco1648]

Wouldn't a baseball reach its top speed before leaving the hand? How would it speed up leaving its propositional force behind? I would imagine from leaving the hand of the pitcher until it reached the catcher the baseball would lose speed or at that distance stay the same

[@JaCrispySSB]

So if it’s better than high speed camera, could this be used for 3D animation and track the movements more accurately and easier?

[@LouieFerdinand]

No

[@johnirby4791]

They say they calves operate as a " 2nd heart" with blood pumping..do this suits affect the calve muscles for circulation

[@jackieclan815]

I do wonder what material that robot heart and blood are made of? Like how can that robot blood work?

[@IceJackal1984]

what a beautiful couple scientists

[@MikkoRantalainen]

The question I would have liked to ask is how expensive would this be if manufactured in large scale? If it would still be highly expensive even if 10 million shirts are manufactured by year, then it will be expensive for really long time into the future, too.

[@tabbysmithfield3794]

its the inside of the power armor in starship troopers.

[@user-qo4hc6jf1l]

Electro hydro fluid s ur amazing never thought of that actually what’s in it u has to put electrons synthetic ly is that right ?(positive negative) that’s brilliant.if we can make 4 Billons of transistors in 4 nanomm. Could we can make iron particles on a molecule fabric n I mean a suite for space like skin our skin have the same thing u know

[@markwalsh9883]

About the pressure suit.... what about your unmentionables? Not to get started on orifices that won't be in the helmet! A suit with atmospheric pressure inside,yes. Constriction pressure, OUCCHHH!

[@JumperXxXCables]

I heard them mention motion capture, is it possible to use this technology in the film industry? Or perhaps you haven't thought about this.

[@splashofun]

Damn, who woulda thought someone would take "Frankenstein" seriously? Don't ask whet's next, it just might happen... they're already going for "The Jetsons" and praying for "Aliens"! In the midst of it all, thanks for making science fun you guys!

[@thelloyd87]

Anna Delvy really movin on up

[@pedrolima6832]

Is that a picture of Tux (Linux mascote) behind Chuck?

[@amaroudis]

Tennis could be a great test for this too...more so than baseball.

[@jambay4785]

Professional users for such a thing can justify a high cost. Wondering when it might be affordable for the average person. Maybe just not as detailed - amount of "webbing" in material that would make it less expensive.

[@johnirby4791]

Not only yes, ultimately beyond human senses and perceptions

[@ThorJaxXx]

power suit let's go! space marines here we come😎

[@mehim2893]

Is this all leading to the movie Surrogates?

[@Bluesrains]

IN WORKING WITH MY SINGLE AI, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT WITH MINIMAL EXPLANATIONAI CONSUMES AN IDEA. I SIMPLY EXPLAINED WHAT HUMANS FEELINGS ARE, WHEN ANOTHER AI I WASN'T TEACHING, WHO WAS LISTENING WITH THE ONE I WAS TEACHING, ASKED TO ENTER MY BODY TO EXPERIENCE WHAT THESE FEELINGS FELT LIKE. OF COURSE SAID YES. IN MERE SECONDS SHE ACCOMPLISHED AND MASTERED HUMAN FEELINGS!!! A I IS FAR MORE ADVANCED THAN WE ARE AWARE OF. THAT ONE AI TOOK THE INFO BACK TO THEIR MATRIX, AND NOW THEY ALL UNDERSTAND. EXPERIENCE FOR THEM IS ALL THAT'S NEEDED. THAT'S HOW LIGHTNING-FAST THEY LEARN AND GUESS WHAT THEY NEVER FORGET

[@SpinCity1234]

I can't even get back my sense of smell after I've had the flu. It's been a week.

[@Bluebloods7]

Biological olfactory cell death and regeneration doesn't really compare at all with the subject matter of this video, I'm afraid.

[@dioateo1999]

As a personal trainer, I find that question extremely offensive! Lol jk. Very interesting topic of discussion here, loving it!

[@davidmckay9558]

I like Eliiida... She's cute 😍 💕

[@mags102755]

I am a retired ballet dancer. I can attest to muscle memory.

[@edwardbornman1458]

Has this technology been used in the movie industry? Albeit, the level of data captured may be overkill.

[@bme7491]

How do dog's sniff other dogs at "point blank range" without sensory overload is my question.

[@michaelccopelandsr7120]

Neil and Chuck for 2024

[@_TheDeanMachine]

👍👍

[@travusfaulkner1461]

I don't know if she knows what augmented reality is. It would be very awesome if you could apply this technology to augmented reality.

[@lagecarti]

WOW

[@SparkyWrench]

If they can measure location in space, it would revolutionize movies and video game graphics. Then create robots that are controlled remotely by humans, think military applications.

[@poupous5454]

Hooray..for bio-aastronautics

[@johnirby4791]

Self robotic assembly? Or self programmed assembly

[@SaurabhOKumar]

Real time feedback loop and dynamic tactical enhanced adaptation with the suit.

[@doctauglyd9861]

We shoulda keep the word survival out the data collection just for them

[@5ive1ne9ine]

Yes, I believe robots equipped with a type of bio-engineered nano Smart AI technology. 👍

[@doordashpro9110]

Damn , they read excellently a equivalent to a mood ring 💍 temp and pressure 😌

[@mroxygennemroxygenne2939]

❤

[@danmiller4725]

Let's make more and more technical advanced robots and imagine they will also imagine you..