Robots that feed people who can't feed themselves are here

But the mealtime choreography that most of us take for granted is harder to automate than you might think. To master the use of a fork, researchers needed to deconstruct the intricate UX of eating. As a result, the feeding robot is actually a product of several studies. First and foremost, the robot had to learn how to properly poke foods. Perhaps that sounds simple, but imagine the difference in how it feels to pierce the surface of a crunchy carrot, a smooth but squishy grape, or a soft banana.