Robots That Can Feel Pain: Is It Possible?

What if robots could experience pain like we do?  While that might seem like a Sci-Fi concept,  some scientists are looking into technologies that can enable it to happen.

Sensors now let robots feel pain Touch sensors can detect when a robot’s arm has hit a rough or hot surface and let its control system know. Pressure sensors also help a robot feel pain  they can detect when a robot is being pressed,  touched,  or damaged. 

It does not mean that damage is perceived as pain.

Researchers have created artificial skin, or e-skin,  and an artificial nervous system enabling robots to react to physical stimuli, for example,  pressure,  touch and heat.  The new developments may enable robots to avoid dangerous situations or damage themselves and interact with humans in a safer way.

Picture a robot of the future that quickly retracts its hand from a hot surface,  detects when its body is injured and adapt to avoid more injury.  These attributes could give robots more cognition,  autonomy and safety.

Nevertheless, the more important question is:  are robots capable of experiencing pain or are they only simulating human reactions?

And then, of course, human pain is not just a biological process,  it is also brain activity,  emotion,  and more.  There’s no reason to believe even a robot that could sense damage would experience pain consciously, as we do.

In the future, artificial sensor systems could revolutionise robotics in numerous areas such as in healthcare, manufacturing, space, and the interaction between humans and robots.

What do you think? If one day a robot was capable of feeling pain, should we treat it differently than any other computer?