A new type of robotic hand developed at the University of Texas can grasp objects as fragile as a potato chip or a raspberry without crushing them.

Why it matters: The technology could bring robots closer to imitating the sensitive touch of humans, with implications for manufacturing and health care.

• And very few robotic gripping technologies have the sort of slip detection this one deploys, the researchers note in a new paper published in the journal IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.

The big picture: Fine-tuning robot touch has big money implications as major firms invest in humanoids.

• Elon Musk said he expects Tesla to begin selling its Optimus humanoid to the public by the end of 2027. "Everyone on Earth is going to have one and want one," he said in January.
• Lillian Chin, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UT and one of the lead researchers on this project, tells Axios the technology is the basis for an upcoming $750,000 grant from the Toyota Research Institute, which she said is "explicitly interested in adapting this technology to humanoid fingers."

How it works: The robot fingers are equipped with sensors that can detect air pressure changes and provide real-time force feedback to let the robot know whether the object it's holding is slipping.

• The researchers tested the grippers on 31 objects, including fragile items such as raspberries and potato chips, slippery ones such as jam jars and billiard balls and everyday items such as soup cans and apples. Also — a marshmallow.
• "We had to run the experiments with the raspberries quickly to make sure they didn't go moldy," Chin tells Axios.

What they're saying: Robots have long lacked the sensitivity of human touch, Chin says. "You can run your hand across a counter, feel a piece of paper," she said of human beings, who can pick up objects with a "Goldilocks level of detail."

What's next: The researchers want to make the sensors less sensitive to temperature changes and improve the robot's hands' ability to catch objects that are slipping.

Austin has seen the sharpest decline in rent among major U.S. metros, per a new report by Apartment List, an online rental marketplace.

Why it matters: A building boom across the South and Mountain West has cooled rents — but that relief could fade as new construction slows.

The big picture: Housing remains unaffordable for many. Although the median U.S. rent for new leases is down 1.5% from a year ago, it's still roughly 20% above pre-pandemic levels, at $1,400 a month, per Apartment List.

• And a new Harvard report finds a record number of renters are "cost-burdened," spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities.

Zoom in: The median rent in Austin — a building hot spot — was down nearly 6% this February from a year earlier.

• And rent is down more than 20% from its 2022 peak, per Apartment List, whose research team suggests a fast ramp-up in new home construction has led to the softening in rents.

The other side: Rental markets are tighter in the Midwest, Northeast and parts of the West Coast.

• These are regions where building is harder, largely due to zoning restrictions and a lack of space.

Between the lines: High building costs and a glut of supply in the Sun Belt have made developers cautious about starting new projects.

• When new units do arrive, they're mostly luxury apartments.

Meanwhile, more people are renting — partly because homebuying remains out of reach — keeping rents from falling much further nationwide.

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week's caption contest, for an image snapped during South by Southwest in Austin capturing the sort of human-robot moment destined to be more and more common.

🏆 The winner: "No more treats if you oil the carpet," via reader Steve S.

• "Will YOU eat my son's homework?" was the runner-up, from reader Mackenzie M.

ICE agents are not expected at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to help with Transportation Security Administration screening. (CBS Austin)

🏗️ Austin is studying a "transfer of development rights" program that could steer growth while helping preserve historic or environmentally sensitive areas. (Austin Business Journal 🔒)

🏫 Austin public schools are showing progress in narrowing student achievement gaps, according to new district updates. (Spectrum News)

Austin ISD will continue to celebrate Dolores Huerta on March 31 — but not César Chávez following accusations of sexual assault and abuse by the labor leader. (KUT)

🏫 Meanwhile, the Texas Education Agency yesterday told all public schools to remove mentions of César Chávez from lesson plans. (Texas Tribune)

It's been a weepy week.

My dear, dear dad, Monroe Price, whom I could not have possibly loved any more than I did — and who was himself beloved by scores of former students and academics around the globe — died about a week ago.

The big picture: He was a remarkably un-self-conscious and warm person who saw the world in its many ironies. His thoughtfulness influenced the trajectories of so many people, chief among them, of course, my own.

• Along with my brothers and his sister, I managed to get to NYC ahead of his death — and it turned out to matter a lot, as we spent the week comforting each other and my mother.

Here he is (👆), in an early meeting between us.

The bottom line: I was smitten off the bat.