A Touching Story: Sensing and Robotics for Medicine and Beyond

Imagine a robot trying to pick up a squishy toy without squashing it! Robots need a sense of touch to do gentle, tricky jobs - just like learning a musical instrument or performing surgery. In this talk, we’ll explore how robots learn to feel, grab, and move things safely using special sensors and clever robot hands. Come discover how engineers teach robots to use their fingers to do delicate, human‑like tasks!

In this talk, we will journey into an unexpected corner of medical robotics: a pelvic floor simulator for pelvic examination training designed to supplement a curriculum that still relies heavily on peer practice. Whilst built to improve training, confidence and patient care, we will explore how responsible innovation asks roboticists to look beyond good intentions and technical success. Even with careful reflection, what we create can still be interpreted and used in unintended ways. Let's unpack the awkward, absurd and important questions at the boundary between healthcare and technology.