Researchers develop wearable robot arm that can feed you & your dinner companion

Scientists at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University respectfully disagree.

They’ve created an oddball chest-mounted social feeding robot system which uses a third robotic arm to feed either the wearer or their dinner partner.

“We designed this system to explore the role of interactive technology to support playful eating experiences,” Yash Mehta, a researcher on the project, told Digital Trends.
“When it comes to food and technology, most systems are focused on either calorie intake or screen interactions. We find that eating is so much more than calorie intake — rather, a playful celebration of social engagement with others over food. We want to get people away from screens when eating, and rather see them engage with each other.”
Read also: Amazon faces probe over questionable facial recognition software

To achieve this, the “Arm-A-Dine” project augments the eating experience by using the facial expressions of one dining partner to guide how the robot arm behaves. Based on the positive or negative expression they make, the chest-mounted robot will either feed them or the person they are sitting across the table from.

The system was recently put through its paces by 12 participants in a study. The researchers concluded that, perhaps unsurprisingly, using a robot arm to feed you and your other diners adds to the “playful social aspect of the dining experience.” Don’t expect to find this rolled out in restaurants any time soon, though.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now