Technology & Humanity
Team Develops Embodied Robotic Arm 'EmArm' With Human-like Touch Sensing
From Phys.org Technology · October 17, 2026
A research team led by Professor Shen Yajing at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed the Embodied Sensorimotor Robotic Arm, known as EmArm. By embedding a soft optical tactile skin into a rigid mechanical skeleton, the system can perceive contact information across its upper and lower arms. According to the researchers, the arm achieves a spatial resolution of 0.085 millimeters and can distinguish between different touch interactions, such as tickling or patting.
The EmArm utilizes a perception-action closed-loop framework that combines joint-angle data with tactile information to support autonomous decision-making. In testing, the system reportedly identified five touch behaviors with 99.8% accuracy and provided corresponding emotional feedback expressions. The researchers stated that the arm can also detect visually undetectable obstacles through touch, allowing it to execute emergency stops or replan paths autonomously. The study was published in the journal Nature Sensors.
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