IEEE Spectrum Journalist Evan Ackerman on "Toyota's Bubble-ized Humanoid Grasps With Its Whole Body > Robotic manipulation should be about more than just fingers."

"The Lost Altos, Calif-based Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is taking a more expansive view with their new humanoid, Punyo, which uses its soft body to help it manipulate objects that would otherwise be pretty much impossible to manage with grippers alone," Ackerman wrote in a recent IEEE Spectrum article.

Ackerman quoted TRI's Alex Alspach.

"Current robot manipulation evolved from big, strong industrial robots moving car parts and big tools with their end effectors," Alspach was quoted saying. "I think it's wise to take inspiration from the human form - we are strong enough to perform most everyday tasks with our hands, but when a big, heavy object comes around, we need to get creative with how we wrap our arms around it and position our body to lift it...Furthermore, our Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) team has done and continues to do, extensive research with older adults, the people we look forward to helping the most."

Read the full article here.