Distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic has made both physical and social connections a touch more difficult to maintain. For Stanford University student Millie Salvato, being apart from her friend on the opposite coast has proved challenging. Sometimes a text or video call is not enough, and people in Salvato’s situation often long for a way to send a comforting hug from afar. In a new study detailed in IEEE Transactions on Haptics, she and her colleagues demonstrated a wearable sleeve that can simulate (模拟) human touch and convey social messages sent electronically.

Salvato and her team measured how 37 participants expressed social messages in different situations. In each test, one person wore a pressure-sensing device on an arm, and another touched it to respond to six different scenes: attention seeking, gratitude, happiness, calming, love and sadness. After collecting 661 touch movements, Salvato and her colleagues mapped the location and pressure of each. Next, they used a machine-learning algorithm (算法) to select the movements that were most reliable part of each response. Finally, they programmed a wearable sleeve to simulate these movements using eight built-in disks that vibrate when electronically signaled. “The instant it received signals, I could feel the touch and identify its intended meaning.” One participant reported.

Even with no training, the participants correctly matched the simulated touches to the six scenes 45 percent of the time. For comparison, a previous study found participants could match scenes for touches from real human hands 55 percent of the time.

Gerling, a touch researcher at Harvard who was not involved in the study, said the invention was really surprising. But the study was small and needs to cover far larger groups of people to determine exactly which are the most desirable responses. Besides, he believes the sleeve surely will enjoy great popularity once launched on the market.

Inventors are always at work, dreaming up new technologies. Some inventions help us solve problems. Others make life easier, or more fun. Here, TFK(Time for Kids) presents 3 of our favorite inventions. See how they make us live a better life.

Stopping Sickness

Christine Schindler is an engineer. She wanted to help stop the spread of foodborne illnesses. So she created PATHSPOT. It uses light to scan a person’s hands for harmful germs. Restaurant employees hold their hands beneath the scanner. Then the scanner judges whether they must be rewashed. About 100 locations have started using the product since it launched in May.

Talking Eyes

For people who are blind or have other visual problems, the ORCAM MYEYE 2 could be a game changer. It might also prove useful for people with reading difficulties. Described as “talking glasses,” this AI device can be attached to any eyeglass frame. It can identify faces. It can also read text aloud. Fitting all this power into such a small device is like “putting an elephant in a small closet,” says Amnon Shashua, the inventor of the technology. Now the device can be bought online.

Sport-safe

Research shows that playing football increases the risk of brain injury. Still, about a million kids under the age of 13 play football, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. That’s where the VICIS ZERO1 YOUTH football helmet comes in. It has thick, force-absorbing support on the front and sides, where kids are likely to take the hardest hits on the field. Players on 1,500 youth teams have worn the helmet.

What will restaurants look like in the future? What would your dinner taste like if a robot cooked it? A robot restaurant in Tianjin may give you the answers.

Covering an area of over 400 square meters with a total of 112 seats, the X Future Restaurant is a robot restaurant that opened in November 2018. The restaurant has amazed customers with its fully-automated (全自动的) technology, which covers every step of the dining experience, from ordering to cooking to serving the dishes and even taking payment.

Entering the restaurant, one can order dishes by simply scanning the QR codes on the table. There are over 40 choices of dishes. After taking the order, “robot cooks” prepare dishes using fixed time, temperature and ingredients designed by famous Chinese cooks.

“As the cooking is controlled by a computer system, the taste and quality of dishes can be good,” said Li Xiaokui, manager of the X Future Restaurant.

Robots also complete the delivery of dishes. Without following any designed route, the robot waiters serve meals thanks to automated driving technology, which helps each robot timely change its route when something is in the way.

These eye-catching technologies have received wide praise from customers. “The dishes taste surprisingly good. I couldn’t believe that they were made by robots, especially dishes that were difficult to cook.” one customer said. “The application of robots has increased our efficiency and cut down our costs,” Li said, “I think robot restaurants will develop fast and have a bright future.”