Science has long acknowledged five core senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—but ongoing research suggests this list may be incomplete.
A recent study from Queen Mary University and UCL suggests humans have a seventh sense, “remote touch,” allowing object detection without contact.
Nature’s Inspiration: How Birds Detect Hidden Prey
The idea was inspired by birds like sandpipers, which detect prey hidden under sand.
By sensing subtle mechanical signals transmitted through the grains, these birds can detect hidden objects in their environment.
Psychologist Elisabetta Versace of the Prepared Minds Lab conducted experiments showing humans could detect a cube buried under sand without touching it, revealing extraordinary tactile sensitivity.
In a follow-up, researchers used a robotic arm with tactile sensors and an LSTM model to identify the same object.
Humans Outperform Robots in Tactile Detection
The findings were striking: human participants outperformed the robotic system by roughly 30%. While people reached an average accuracy of 70.7%, the robot generated numerous false detections and achieved only 40% accuracy overall.
Zhengqi Chen, a PhD student at Queen Mary University, said the discovery could inspire tools that enhance human touch.
Applications include detecting artifacts without damage and exploring sandy terrains like Mars or the ocean floor.
Bridging Psychology, Robotics, and AI
Lorenzo Jamone from University College London emphasized the value of integrating psychology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. “Human experiments guided the robots’ training, and the robots’ feedback helped us reinterpret the human data,” he said.
The study, “Exploring Tactile Perception for Object Localization in Granular Media,” published in IEEE Explore, could reshape our understanding of human touch.
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