Latest / The Robotics Podcast with Fexingo: Autonomous Systems, Industrial Robots, and Hardware
Why Robot Arms Still Cant Tie a Shoelace
Shoelaces are deceptively simple for humans but nearly impossible for robots. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore why tying a knot remains a grand challenge in robotics. They break down the physics of flexible objects, the need for tactile feedback, and a 2024 MIT breakthrough that gets a robot to tie a shoelace in 30 seconds — but still with a 40% failure rate. Along the way, they discuss how this problem connects to broader issues in manipulation, from surgical sutures to assembling cables in manufacturing. If today's tech conversation gave you something usable, listener support…
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