Imagine when a robot picks up a cup filled with water, it can also subtly adjust the position and strength of its fingers based on weight and touch, just like humans - a scene that only appears in science fiction movies and has now been turned into reality by a team of Chinese scientists. The joint team of Peking University Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Peking University Wuhan Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Beijing General Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, Peking University School of Engineering, and Queen Mary University of London recently released the latest scientific research results in Nature · Machine Intelligence - the world's first robot bionic hand F-TAC Hand that combines high-resolution tactile perception with complete motion ability. This nimble palm is covered with precise tactile "skin" on 70% of its surface, with a spatial resolution of up to 0.1 millimeters, equivalent to about 10000 tactile points per square centimeter, far exceeding the limitations of current advanced commercial robotic hands that only have a single point of force sensation at the fingertips. The hand is one of the most flexible organs in the human body and also one of the most frequently used motor organs. The mysteries of the human hand are infinite -27 bones and 34 muscles support 24 degrees of flexibility. When humans grasp objects, tactile feedback and motion functions are indispensable: the former perceives strength, texture, and temperature; The latter precisely controls joint and limb movements. However, how to integrate high-resolution tactile and complex motion capabilities into robotic hands has long been a huge bottleneck in the field of robotics. The flexibility and adaptability of the human hand are largely attributed to its dense tactile sensing ability, which enables us to accurately perceive and adjust the grasping process. ”Zhao Zihang, the first author of the paper and a doctoral student at Peking University, said, "However, in the field of robotics, how to achieve full hand tactile coverage without affecting motion function has always been a challenge." Zhu Yixin, the corresponding author of the paper, assistant professor at the Institute of Artificial Intelligence at Peking University, and director of the embodied intelligence laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Artificial Intelligence at Peking University, said that the inspiration for F-TAC Hand comes from the biological intelligence of human hands. It simulates the mechanism of human skin being covered with sensors and the brain efficiently processing information, innovatively integrating 17 high-resolution tactile sensors in 6 different configurations into the palm. Even more cleverly, these sensors serve a dual purpose: they are both sensitive 'sensory nerves' and supportive' skeletal structures'. This integrated design allows the F-TAC Hand to achieve unprecedented wide area tactile coverage while maintaining flexible movement. Traditional robotic hands without rich tactile feedback often struggle in complex and ever-changing environments. The breakthrough of F-TAC Hand lies in its ability to sense contact changes in real time and adjust strategies instantly, just like humans. The high flexibility of robotic hand joints itself is a control challenge, "explained Li Yuyang, co first author of the paper and a doctoral student at Peking University. The team has developed an intelligent algorithm based on probability models for this purpose, which can generate grasping strategies that are extremely close to human diversity, covering 19 common grasping types. Experimental results have shown that when the optimal grasping strategy encounters unexpected situations (such as object collisions), the F-TAC Hand can sense the crisis and switch plans in lightning within about 100 milliseconds. In the rigorous 600 real multi object grasping tests, it faced execution errors and collision risks, and its success rate jumped from 53.5% of the non tactile system to an astonishing 100%. This tactile based closed-loop feedback provides a key guarantee for the stable operation of robots in uncertain environments such as homes, healthcare, and industry. Our research is not only a technological breakthrough, but also provides a new perspective for understanding the essence of intelligence. ”Zhu Yixin said, "Human intelligence is deeply rooted in bodily perception, especially hand touch. F-TAC Hand proves that rich perception is equally indispensable for the development of machine intelligence. ”Experts say that F-TAC Hand has unlimited potential in fields that require human involvement. It exhibits stability beyond human hands in specific scenarios, especially suitable for precision demanding auxiliary surgeries, high-precision assembly, aerospace, and emergency response scenarios. Zhu Yixin looks ahead to the future: "Pure computational AI such as large-scale language models still face challenges in handling physical interactions. Research has shown that true intelligent behavior requires the integration of knowledge and action. F-TAC Hand has opened up a new path for 'embodied intelligence' - integrating high fidelity physical perception and intelligent control, which is a key path towards higher-level machine intelligence. ”This breakthrough, led by China and achieved domestically, not only promotes the landing of robot technology in medical, industrial, and special operations, but also injects strong momentum into empowering thousands of industries and activating new quality productivity. (New Society)