The Biomechatronics Lab led a keynote presentation and live on-stage demo at the 2025 United Nations AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland to showcase the power of touch in human-robot systems in front of a global audience. A huge thank you to members of the Human Fusions Institute who made the presentation and demo possible: Stephen Mock (UCLA), Prof. Nicholas Zingale (Cleveland State University), Afference, Inc., XRtistry, Luis Mesias Flores (Case Western Reserve University), Evan Harber (UCLA), Emily Imka (Case Western Reserve University), and the Santos family.

In her keynote presentation, “The Power of Touch in Human-Robot Systems for a Connected World,” Prof. Veronica J. Santos explored how haptic feedback can transform human-robot systems, especially when vision alone falls short. She shared research about tactile sensors, tactile perception algorithms, and reinforcement learning that enable robots to feel and adapt. During the live demo, an operator successfully used haptic feedback to complete interactive tasks using a robotic arm, demonstrating how artificial touch can bridge distance, address societal needs, and expand human connection.

A replay of the presentation will be eventually posted by the AI for Good organizers at https://aiforgood.itu.int/event/replay-the-power-of-touch-in-human-robot-systems-for-a-connected-world/.

This work was supported in part by the Office of Naval Research.
[Credit for images]: Prof. Dustin Tyler (Case Western Reserve University)
[Credit for portions of the narrative]: Emily Imka (Case Western Reserve University) and her LinkedIn post