Generative Bionics' smart robot skin prevents collisions

Humanoids and humans are increasingly sharing factory floors, but one is made of metal and the other of flesh and bones, a mismatch that rarely ends well for us in a collision. Italian startup Generative Bionics thinks it has a fix: a humanoid robot covered in sensing skin that feels people approaching and adjusts its movements before any contact occurs.

The robot, called Gene.01, is wrapped in a network of sensors running from its torso to its limbs. This smart skin tracks touch, temperature, proximity, and force simultaneously, letting the robot anticipate a person's presence and react before and during contact. It's a bit like pulling your hand away from a hot stove before you actually touch it. The heat you feel from a distance is enough to make you stop.

The same sensors let humans physically teach the robot new tasks. Rather than only showing Gene.01 a movement...

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