Ford calls Ruth

She doesn't exactly look organic, or even particularly attractive but Ford's robot, called Ruth, is designed to have a human touch.

Making a science out of tactile experiences, the Ford robot -- which looks like a miniaturised production line spot-welder -- aims at quantifying the normally unquantifiable by measuring tactual sensation previously only determined via human fingertips.

The mini robot sits in the driver's seat and mimics human functions by operating various controls, including pushing knobs and adjusting air vents.

Already in use for four years at Ford's European Advance Research Centre in Aachen, Germany, Ruth (Robotised Unit for Tactility and Haptics) has played a part in making car interiors more pleasant.

According to Ford: "Human touch is both subjective and complex, making it hard to measure.  Vehicle interior designers have historically relied on direct feedback from customers to determine which materials and dial settings pleased the most people."

The robot with a difference measures such things as the resistance experienced when pushing buttons or turning knobs, the softness or hardness and texture of surfaces such as the dashboard or door trims, surface temperature, and the "the spaces between pieces for uniform and minimal gaps".

By quantifying Ruth's tactile experiences, Ford says it is more easily able to impart a feeling of quality on "affordable" as well as higher-priced cars.

"We're able to convey in numbers precisely how something needs to feel and build exactly to those specifications -- guesswork's replaced by science," says Ford vehicle interior technologies engineer Mark Spingler.

Next time we drive a Euro Ford, we'll be on the lookout for signs of Ruth's input.

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